Egypt confirms second missing German also detained

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Egypt confirms second missing German also detained

Post by DJKeefy »

Weeks after the 18-year-old's disappearance in Luxor, Egypt has admitted it is detaining a second German citizen. The two men's dual citizenship has made it difficult for them to receive German consular visits.

One day after the German Foreign Ministry said that 26-year-old Mahmoud Abdel Aziz is being held by Egyptian authorities, it confirmed that a second man, 18-year-old Isa El Sabbagh is also being held in Cairo.

The men, who were traveling separately, have one thing in common: they hold German and Egyptian passports, as their mothers are German and their fathers Egyptian.

Mystery has surrounded the disappearances of the young men, who each traveled to Egypt to visit family.

Mahmoud Abdel Aziz of Göttingen was detained at Cairo airport on December 27 and Isa El Sabbagh of Giessen at Luxor airport on December 17.

Speaking with DW, Malik Abdel Aziz, who was traveling with his brother Mahmoud when he was detained, said that Egyptian authorities were planning to deport his brother to Germany if he would renounce his Egyptian citizenship.


Fear, frustration, and finally, relief

Isa El Sabbagh's father, Mohamed, who had grown increasingly frustrated by the lack of information as to his son's whereabouts, started an online petition calling for the German Foreign Ministry to facilitate his return. Yet that proved a difficult proposition: "They told me the German Embassy could not do much because my son Isa is an Egyptian."

Mohamed El Sabbagh found that answer unacceptable, writing: "My son has a German passport, lives in Giessen, is graduating from high school and wants to attend university here! German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas can indeed do something to help my son."

Mohamed El Sabbagh told DW that although it remains unclear why his son was detained or under what conditions he is living, the family was greatly relieved to finally learn that Isa was alive.

"The last several weeks were horrible for us," he said. "This morning the German Foreign Ministry finally called me. For weeks I did not know if our son was alive or had been killed; now my wife and I know that our son Isa is alive. I was told that he is alive and being held by Egyptian security authorities."

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Photo 1: 18-year-old Isa El Sabbagh left with his father and brother
Photo 2: German-Egyptian citizen Mahmoud Abdel Aziz


Uncertainty remains

Egyptian authorities do not recognize dual citizenship and treat dual passport holders as Egyptian citizens. In such cases, the government in Cairo sees no need to inform foreign governments of their activities. Cairo has thus far given no grounds for either detention, nor have they said what will happen to the young men.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/egypt-confirms-se ... a-47030396


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Re: Egypt confirms second missing German also detained

Post by Winged Isis »

[quote="DJKeefy"]Cairo has thus far given no grounds for either detention, nor have they said what will happen to the young men.quote]

Military service is my guess, after a 'suitable" period of incarceration.
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Re: Egypt confirms second missing German also detained

Post by Who2 »

Well they have just deported them to Germany... 8)
Ps: Perhaps it was Dad's 'beardy-weirdy look..
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Re: Egypt confirms second missing German also detained

Post by Hafiz »

"Egyptian authorities do not recognize dual citizenship" - Rot.

Many rich Egyptians, including some or all of the billionaire Sawiris family hold dual citizenship - usually with the US. They use this to their advantage from tax and related points of view which are acceded to by Egypt.

Egypt is also illogical. Whether they recognize German/US or not is irrelevant - if the US/Germany does recognize people they will enforce their power in relation to that citizen. If they arrest a dual national and mistreat them the other government will have its say and ignore that Egypt doesn't accept dual citizenship.

Like many legal issues in Egypt the government's position is irrational and illogical - its like their recent attempts to give 500 Generals exemption from western law by deeming them to be diplomats - it won't work because its a barefaced perversion of the Geneva Convention which protects bona fide diplomats but not crooked brutal Generals who are being looked at by the International Criminal Court for their far from diplomatic behavior.

Only one international law firm, Baker, has an office in Cairo and that office includes no international partners but many lawyers with awful Egyptian law degrees who will never get a job anywhere else in the legal world. The reverse is the situation in Turkey, the Gulf and Saudi who have proper lawyers, including western partners, not just local lick spittle's.

The International Commission of Jurists has a clear and published position (repeated several times) on law and the judicial system in Egypt - 1 second to midnight.

I think its probable that there is no first or even second rate legal advice in Cairo on international law or international corporate law let alone treaties and the like..
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