SOAS statement about alumnus Karim Ennarah

24 November 2020

We are deeply concerned to hear of the arrest and detainment of SOAS alumnus Karim Ennarah in Dahab, South Sinai by Egyptian security forces.

SOAS has a number of alumni actively working for organisations that protect human rights and we are proud of the impact our whole community - scholars, students and alumni - have in this field.

Karim is a SOAS Law graduate and the Criminal Justice Unit Director for the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, an organisation working to protect basic rights and freedoms through research, advocacy and supporting litigation.

These arrests - which include charges for 'joining a terrorist organisation' and 'spreading false information' - have been condemned by Amnesty International who have described them as a "chilling escalation" of a crackdown on civil society in Egypt.

We support the work of the EIPR – a leading human rights group - and call for the immediate release of Karim and its administrative director Mohammed Basheer and Executive Director Gasser Abdel-Razek.