The undersigned human rights organizations call for an urgent and transparent investigation into the complaint submitted by the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms to the Aswan Prosecution, on behalf of the family of former Member of Parliament Mostafa El-Naggar, in order to investigate the public statements made by journalist Mohamed El-Baz, in which he explicitly stated that he has information indicating that El-Naggar was killed on the Egyptian-Sudanese border. The complaint was registered under No. 490 of the year 2026, General Petitions, Aswan.
The organizations affirm that these statements constitute a direct allegation of an extrajudicial killing, a serious claim that requires immediate legal accountability, whether proven true or not. The organizations stress that Mohamed El-Baz, as a journalist known for his close relationship with state institutions, when he declares that he possesses “information” about a killing, this imposes a legal duty on the Public Prosecution to summon him and question him regarding the sources of this information, how he obtained it, and on what basis he asserted that the crime occurred.
The seriousness of these statements increases given that they concern the fate of a former Member of Parliament and a public political figure who has been forcibly disappeared for years, and for whom no official announcement or judicial ruling has yet been issued determining his fate. This makes any attempt to resolve the case through media narratives legally and ethically unacceptable.
It should be noted that the submitted complaint calls for the opening of a full criminal investigation into these statements, considering them either a disclosure of a grave crime that requires accountability, or deliberate misinformation in a case of enforced disappearance that remains open, constituting an assault on the right of the family and society to know the truth.
The organizations also draw attention to the fact that the family of Dr. Mostafa El-Naggar has previously pursued all legal avenues and obtained a ruling from the State Council in January 2020 obliging the Ministry of Interior to disclose his whereabouts, yet the ruling has not been implemented to date. In addition, complaints submitted to the Public Prosecutor have not been seriously adjudicated, which further amplifies the danger of irresponsible handling of the case in the media sphere.
The organizations emphasize that dealing with statements of such weight must be through judicial investigation, not through unchecked media remarks, and that protecting the right to life and preventing impunity begin with questioning anyone who claims to possess information about serious crimes.
The Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances has included the case of Mostafa El-Naggar in its official communications addressed to the Egyptian government, as evidenced by its reference report A/HRC/WGEID/135/1. Nevertheless, the Egyptian authorities have provided no response or clarification regarding his whereabouts or fate, reflecting the continued refusal to cooperate with United Nations mechanisms. Concern is further heightened by this official silence amid the circulation of allegations of his “killing” through media outlets affiliated with security agencies, without any official statement denying, clarifying, or providing an official account of the events.
The organizations conclude their statement by reaffirming their clear demands:
Opening an immediate investigation into the statements made by journalist Mohamed El-Baz.
Officially summoning him and questioning him regarding the content of the information he claimed to possess.
Determining whether we are facing an extrajudicial killing or an unfounded narrative.
Ending the prolonged ambiguity surrounding the fate of Dr. Mostafa El-Naggar, in a manner that guarantees his family’s right to truth and justice.
Signatories:
The Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms
Stop Forced Disappearances
Egyptian Front for Human Rights
El-Nadeem Center
Law and Democracy Support Foundation
Refugees Platform in Egypt (RPE)
Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights
Committee for Justice
Sinai Foundation for Human Rights
EgyptWide for Human Rights
Egyptian Human Rights Forum
Freedom of Thought and Expression Foundation for Human Rights
Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
