Human rights lawyer Mohamed Ramadan filed a formal complaint Sunday with Alexandria’s First Chief Prosecutor regarding the disappearance of activist Nael Hassan, last seen entering the National Security headquarters in Alexandria on Thursday.
Ramadan posted a photo of the official complaint on Facebook on Sunday. According to the document, Hassan told Ramadan on Wednesday, May 20, that he had received a phone call summoning him to the National Security headquarters in the Abis neighborhood. He reported to the headquarters at 2 pm Thursday and has not been heard from since.
According to human rights lawyer Mahienour El-Massry, Hassan had earlier been contacted by family in Alexandria, who told him that “there is someone from the electricity investigations department saying there are violations against Nael, even though the meter is not in his name.”
In a Facebook post, El-Massry added: “Nael was suspicious, but he decided to go to Alexandria anyway and see what the situation was. Despite advice from everyone close to him not to go to this [person], he decided to call him, and it became highly apparent that the matter was likely a [trap].”
She continued, “At that time, his family tried to help, and in the end, they told Nael that the matter was simple and that he could go to State Security in Abis.”
Hassan, a former member of the Al-Dostour Party, was previously arrested on August 27 outside the Supreme State Security Prosecution, following a dawn raid on his home in Ismailia earlier that day. He was released hours later.
Before that, Hassan was arrested in Alexandria on April 21, 2017, during a widespread security crackdown targeting political activists and party cadres across several governorates. The crackdown coincided with public protests against the maritime border agreement between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, under which Egypt ceded sovereignty over the Tiran and Sanafir islands to Saudi Arabia.
At the time, Hassan faced charges of “joining a terrorist group aiming to overthrow the state; directly or indirectly promoting a terrorist crime through printed materials; using a website to promote terrorist ideas aimed at overthrowing the state and the ruling regime; and opening channels of communication with instigating entities to cooperate with the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood group.” He was released in April 2018.
