About
From freePhilipRizk.org:
About Philip Rizk
portrait courtesy of Tod Roeth
Philip Rizk is a 26 year-old dual national of Germany and Egypt, who was raised in Egypt, and took a B.A. degree in Philosophy from Wheaton College, Illinois, USA. From 2005 to 2007, he lived in Gaza. He is currently a graduate student in the Middle East Studies M.A. program at AUC, and his thesis work is on Palestinian statehood. Philip is a freelance journalist on issues relating to Palestine, and also writes the Tabula Gaza blog at (http://tabulagaza.blogspot.com). Philip is also a filmmaker who recently finished a documentary on Palestinian non-violent resistance (This Palestinian Life, or Samoud) in Gaza and the West Bank and has begun work on another film about the recent Israeli attacks on Gaza. Since the Israeli attacks on Gaza in December and January, he had been involved in sending food and medicine to Gaza and he had been to Rafah a couple of times recently trying to deliver these things.
On Friday, February 6, with a group of about 15 activists of Egyptian and foreign nationality, he was marching and traveling via minibus in Qalubiya governate with the intention of raising awareness on Gaza. The “March to Gaza” action was done in coordination with activists outside of Egypt; see (http://www.togaza.net) for more information. The group envisioned traveling from Cairo to Sinai, and traveled without incident until around 5:00 or 5:30 p.m., when one minibus of marchers carrying Philip and others was stopped by police. This group was kept waiting in their minibus for around four hours before being taken to a police station. There, police took the minibus occupants in for interrogation to either El-Khanka or Abu Zaba’al Police Station (conflicting reports).
Later they were released, but then Philip was singled out for questioning by National Security Officers (Amn El Dawla), and instead of being questioned, was surreptitiously taken from the police station at around 11:30 PM by national security agents, and driven in an unmarked minibus with an obscured license plate. The group tried to pursue the minibus from within their own, but ultimately lost contact with the vehicle carrying Philip. It is believed that he was taken to Lazoughly State Security Center or perhaps at State Security in Nasr City and has been detained since, but we have not been able to get confirmation of this (again, conflicting reports).
In response to his detention by national security agents, roughly 40 friends, colleagues, and family convened on the afternoon of Saturday, February 7 in front of the High Court (Dar El Qada’ El ‘Aly) and general prosecutor’s office in downtown Cairo to demand information about Philip’s whereabouts and to demand his release. Some Egyptian officials at the High Court denied such a person was ever arrested or detained, but because witnesses can attest to his abduction, a lawsuit is being filed against those who took him. His father, with lawyers and some witnesses of the abduction subsequently left the protest to travel to a court in Banha for a potential trial that did not materialize. A delegation of Philips friends proceeded to Lazoughly State Security Center and inquired as to his whereabouts. The officers in the center repeatedly denied having any knowledge about Philip or his whereabouts – they specifically repeatedly denied that he was being held in Lazoughly.
The German embassy has been contacted about the situation. The German Ambassador Erbel was also notified and he has said that they are doing all they can. Instructions from Berlin to the ambassador are to make representation on behalf of the German government through their formal diplomatic channels.
Most recently, the morning of Monday, February 9 at approximately 1:30 AM, Egyptian agents (possibly members of the “secret police” according to his sister), some carrying guns, came to the Rizk family home in Ma’adi, a southern suburb of Cairo. They entered the home and searched through papers in a home office, and asked Maged Rizk, Philip’s father, to sign papers outside of the home which would show that the search had been made, but Mr. Rizk refused to come with them. An official of the German embassy, Amnesty International staff, and various friends and supporters of the family also arrived in due course to the home. By 5:30AM, Egyptian agents had left the home without any members of the Rizk family.
AUC faculty and students held the first in a series of demonstrations on Sunday, February 8, at AUC to pressure the Board of Trustees, who are in town for the inauguration of the new campus, to apply their influence and advocate for Philip’s release. Demonstrations are now scheduled at AUC on an ongoing basis each Monday and Wednesday between the HUSS building and the Administration building until Philip’s release, and the first of these is going on today.
Philip will turn 27 this Thursday, Feb. 12.
The current situation:
Philip has been held by State Security since 11:30pm Friday, February 6th.
He has not been heard from in that time.
The authorities will not disclose the location where Philip is being held.
Philip has had no access to a lawyer.
