Human rights organisations are gravely concerned about the fate of Mohamed Khaled Gomaa Abdel Aziz, a 15-year-old Egyptian child who was violently arrested by Egyptian National Security forces and has been forcibly disappeared for over three weeks. Mohamed was taken from his grandmother’s home in Cairo’s Al-Matariya district during a raid on 19 February 2025, in which security personnel stormed the house without presenting any legal warrant or judicial authorisation, terrorising his family and neighbours in the process.
Security camera footage and eyewitness testimonies confirmed the violent nature of the raid, showing security forces arresting Mohamed amid panic and fear among family members and neighbours. The traumatic incident has severely impacted Mohamed’s family, particularly given his young age and his recent grief following the death of his father three months ago after a prolonged illness.
Since his disappearance, Mohamed’s family has repeatedly attempted to ascertain his whereabouts. They approached the local police station in Al-Matariya, where officials have consistently denied any knowledge of Mohamed’s detention or location. The family has exhausted all available legal procedures without receiving any cooperation or official response from the Egyptian authorities.
AOHR UK stresses that Mohamed’s ongoing enforced disappearance constitutes a clear violation of international human rights law, particularly the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Egypt is a party. They express deep fears for his safety, health, and psychological wellbeing, holding Egyptian authorities fully responsible for his fate.
AOHR UK urgently demands that the Egyptian Public Prosecutor and relevant authorities immediately reveal Mohamed Khaled Gomaa Abdel Aziz’s whereabouts, ensure his safe return to his family, and guarantee an end to this illegal detention. Furthermore, they call upon the international community to exert meaningful pressure on the Egyptian government to halt all practices of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances, particularly those targeting children.
