Khaled al-Qazzaz
{{Short description|Human rights activist}}
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Khaled Al-Qazzaz (Egyptian Arabic: خالد القزاز; pronounced {{IPA|arz|'xæleːd æl qɑ'zæːz|}}) (born July 3, 1979) is an educator, philanthropist, and human rights activist based in Egypt and Canada. Al-Qazzaz graduated from the University of Toronto with a master's degree in mechanical engineering in 2003.{{Cite web |date=2014-11-24 |title=Community rallies around detained alumnus Khaled Al-Qazzaz |url=https://thevarsity.ca/2014/11/24/community-rallies-around-detained-alumnus-khaled-al-qazzaz/ |access-date=2023-06-19 |website=The Varsity |language=en-US}}
Al-Qazzaz was an aide to Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi.{{cite news|last1=Zillio|first1=Michelle|title=Canadian resident freed from Cairo jail needs medical attention: wife|url=http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/canadian-resident-freed-from-cairo-jail-needs-medical-attention-wife-1.2185428|accessdate=July 12, 2015|publisher=CTV|date=January 12, 2015}} He was forcibly detained by the Egyptian military on July 3, 2013, along with the president and eight other government aides during the Egyptian coup d'etat .{{cite web|title=Egypt: Morsy Aides Moved From Secret Detention|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2013/12/25/egypt-morsy-aides-moved-secret-detention|website=Human Rightw Watch|date=25 December 2013 |publisher=Human Rights Watch|accessdate=July 12, 2015}} Al-Qazzaz remained in an unknown military location for five and a half months. During this time, the Egyptian regime refused to acknowledge that it was holding Al-Qazzaz or to confirm his whereabouts, putting him outside the protection of the law.{{cite web|last1=Neve|first1=Alex|title=Letter to The Honourable John Baird re the cases of Mohamed Fahmy and Khaled al-Qazzaz in Egypt|url=http://www.amnesty.ca/news/coalition-letters/letter-to-the-honourable-john-baird-re-the-cases-of-mohamed-fahmy-and-khaled|website=Amnesty International|publisher=Amnesty International|accessdate=July 12, 2015}} Eventually, Al-Qazzaz was transferred to Tora Prison (Scorpion Wing) on December 17, 2014, and held in solitary confinement for nine months.{{cite news|title=Stephen Harper, Khaled Al-Qazzaz needs your help|url=https://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2014/07/15/stephen_harper_khaled_alqazzaz_needs_your_help.html|accessdate=July 12, 2015|publisher=Toronto Star|date=July 15, 2014}} On October 26, 2014, Al-Qazzaz continued his detention in a private hospital for three months due to injuries sustained as a result of his confinement. As a result of efforts spearheaded by his Canadian wife Sarah Attia with the Free Khaled Al-Qazzaz Campaign, Al-Qazzaz was released on January 11, 2015.{{cite news|last1=Bushra|first1=Shadi|title=Former aide to ousted Egyptian president Mursi released from jail: relatives|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-egypt-brotherhood-release-idUSKBN0KK0PH20150111|accessdate=July 12, 2015|publisher=Reuters|date=January 11, 2015}} Despite his release and cleared legal position, Al-Qazzaz was unable to return to Canada for unknown reasons.{{cite news|agency=The Canadian Press|title=Khaled Al-Qazzaz still not being allowed to leave Egypt for Canada|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/khaled-al-qazzaz-still-not-being-allowed-to-leave-egypt-for-canada-1.3035289|accessdate=July 12, 2015|publisher=CBC News|date=April 16, 2015}} Al-Qazzaz waited another 19 months for a return to Canada and was in need of immediate medical attention.{{cite news|agency=The Canadian Press|title=Khaled Al-Qazzaz, Canadian Resident, Released After More Than A Year In Egyptian Custody|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/01/11/khaled-al-qazzaz-released-egypt_n_6452456.html|accessdate=July 12, 2015|publisher=Huffington Post|date=January 11, 2015}} Attia and the Free Khaled al-Qazzaz campaign had been calling on Canadian and Egyptian governments as well as the international community to urgently assist in securing Al-Qazzaz’s immediate return to Canada.{{cite news|last1=Stephanie|first1=Nebehay|title=Wife of imprisoned aide to Egypt's Mursi brings case to U.N.|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-egypt-violence-idUSKBN0GQ1WT20140826|accessdate=July 12, 2015|publisher=Reuters|date=August 26, 2014}}
On August 14, 2016, Al-Qazzaz returned to Canada."Khaled Al-Qazzaz back in Toronto after release from Egypt", Toronto Star, The Canadian Press. Sept.2, 2016
Political experience
Al-Qazzaz participated in the events of the 2011 Egyptian revolution.{{cite news|last1=Kutty|first1=Faisal|title= Time for Egypt to allow Khaled al-Qazzaz to return home|url=http://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/time-egypt-allow-khaled-come-home-canada-710627258|accessdate=12 October 2016|publisher=Middle East Eye|date=May 10, 2016}} After the Freedom and Justice Party won the democratic election in June 2012, Khaled was asked to work for the government as a civil servant.{{cite news|last1=Kutty|first1=Faisal|title= Time for Egypt to allow Khaled al-Qazzaz to return home|url=http://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/time-egypt-allow-khaled-come-home-canada-710627258|accessdate=12 October 2016|publisher=Middle East Eye|date=May 10, 2016}}
Human rights work
During his term in the Presidential Office, Khaled Al-Qazzaz was directly involved in developing new strategies for the government. Among these initiatives, Khaled was credited with being the first to initiate a Human Rights Portfolio and desk at the Egyptian Presidency.{{cite news|last1=Al-Qazzaz|first1=Khaled|title=Why is the world so silent?|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/28/opinion/khaled-al-qazzaz-disappeared-by-egypts-military.html?_r=0|accessdate=July 19, 2015|work=New York Times|date=June 27, 2015}}
Alongside his political involvement, Khaled continued to advocate for investment in education and education reform as a priority for Egypt.{{cite news|last1=Attia|first1=Sarah|title=My husband has been illegally held in an Egyptian prison for a year. Enough|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jun/26/illegally-held-egyptian-prison-prosecutor-general-egypt|accessdate=19 July 2015|work=The Guardian|date=June 26, 2015}}
Imprisonment
On July 3, 2013, Al-Qazzaz was detained by the Egyptian military along with the president and eight other government aides.{{cite web|last1=Watch|first1=Human Rights|title=Egypt: Morsy's Ex-Aides Forcibly Disappeared|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2013/12/01/egypt-morsys-ex-aides-forcibly-disappeared|website=Human Rights Watch|date=December 2013 |publisher=Human Rights Watch|accessdate=July 19, 2015}} Khaled remained in an unknown military location for five and a half months, during which time the Egyptian regime refused to acknowledge that it was holding Khaled or to confirm his whereabouts, putting him outside the protection of the law.{{cite web|title=Egypt: Morsy's Ex-Aides Forcibly Disappeared|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2013/12/01/egypt-morsys-ex-aides-forcibly-disappeared|website=Human Rights Watch|date=December 2013 |publisher=Human Rights Watch|accessdate=July 19, 2015}}
On December 1, 2013, Human Rights Watch issued a statement accusing the Egyptian government of forcibly disappearing Al-Qazzaz for almost five months.{{cite web|title=Egypt: Morsy's Ex-Aides Forcibly Disappeared|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2013/12/01/egypt-morsys-ex-aides-forcibly-disappeared|website=Human Rights Watch|date=December 2013 |publisher=Human Rights Watch|accessdate=19 July 2015}} The statement read that Al-Qazzaz “remains detained without any legal basis at an undisclosed location.”
=Solitary confinement=
On December 17, 2014 Khaled was transferred to a maximum security prison, the Scorpion Wing in Tora Prison, and held in solitary confinement for over nine months.{{cite news|last1=Abaza|first1=Jihad|title=Amnesty calls for medical treatment of Al-Qazzaz|url=http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2014/12/12/amnesty-calls-medical-treatment-al-qazzaz/|accessdate=19 July 2015|work=Daily News Egypt|date=December 12, 2014}} Reports later revealed that Al-Qazzaz was held in solitary confinement in a two by two meter cell in one of Egypt’s most notorious prisons.{{cite news|last1=Attia|first1=Sarah|title=My Husband's Been Detained in Egypt 320 Days Without Charge|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/sarah-attia/khaled-al-qazzaz-egypt-jail_b_5445966.html|accessdate=19 July 2015|publisher=Huffington Post|date=June 4, 2014}}{{cite news|last1=Obourn|first1=Erin|title=Khaled Al-Qazzaz, Mohamed Fahmy supported at rallies to improve prison conditions|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/khaled-al-qazzaz-mohamed-fahmy-supported-at-rallies-to-improve-prison-conditions-1.2691026|accessdate=19 July 2015|publisher=CBC News|date=June 28, 2014}}{{cite web|last1=International|first1=Amnesty|title=Egypt: Former presidential aide Khaled al-Qazzaz freed|url=http://www.amnesty.ca/our-work/good-news/egypt-former-presidential-aide-khaled-al-qazzaz-freed|website=Amnesty International|publisher=Amnesty International|accessdate=19 July 2015}}
During his confinement, Al-Qazzaz and his lawyers appeared in court on numerous occasions as part of the legal proceedings to call for an end to his detainment. Many of the court appearances ended with the judge extending Al-Qazzaz’s detainment for another 45 days for further investigations.{{cite news|last1=Abdel-Kouddous|first1=Sharif|title=Canadian family of another Egyptian detainee 'hit hard' by Fahmy ruling|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2014/06/25/canadian_family_of_another_egyptian_detainee_hit_hard_by_fahmy_ruling.html|accessdate=19 July 2015|publisher=Toronto Star|date=June 25, 2014}}
=Hospitalization and release=
On October 26, 2014, Khaled was moved to a private hospital where he continued his detention for over three months due to injuries sustained as a result of the extreme conditions of his confinement.{{cite news|last1=Knibutat|first1=Spencer|title=Community rallies around detained alumnus Khaled Al-Qazzaz|url=http://thevarsity.ca/2014/11/24/community-rallies-around-detained-alumnus-khaled-al-qazzaz/|accessdate=19 July 2015|publisher=The Varsity|date=November 24, 2014}}
On Monday, December 29, 2014, the Attorney General issued an order for Al-Qazzaz’s release. Investigations with Al-Qazzaz came to an end and no charges would be issued. Al-Qazzaz was released on January 11, 2015.{{cite web |last1= |first1= |title=Egypt: Further information: Khaled al-Qazzaz released without charge |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde12/0006/2015/en/|website=|publisher=Amnesty International|access-date=2020-04-23|date=2015-01-30}}
When Khaled was first detained, the group Friends of Khaled came together to stand with his wife, Sarah Attia, in her efforts to bring her husband back home to Canada.{{cite news|last1=Spencer|first1=Jason|title=Campaign urges acts of kindness on behalf of political prisoner|url=http://www.mississauga.com/news-story/5149703-campaign-urges-acts-of-kindness-on-behalf-of-political-prisoner/|accessdate=20 July 2015|publisher=Mississauga News|date=November 20, 2014}} This was the inception of the FreeKQ (Free Khaled al-Qazzaz) Campaign. While Friends of Khaled began as a group of university alumni who knew Khaled while he studied at the University of Toronto.{{cite web |title=QED - Our Team |url=https://www.q-ed.org/about/our-team |website=Al-Qazzaz Foundation for Education & Development |accessdate=22 April 2020}} Currently, Friends of Khaled has grown across Canada and internationally to include advocates of human rights.{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}
The FreeKQ campaign has led initiatives such as phone call campaigns, letter-writing campaigns, petition campaigns, and a ‘pay-it-forward.’{{cite news|last1=Spencer|first1=Jason|title=Campaign urges acts of kindness on behalf of political prisoner|url=http://m.cambridgetimes.ca/news-story/5149703-campaign-urges-acts-of-kindness-on-behalf-of-political-prisoner|accessdate=20 July 2015|publisher=Cambridge Times|date=November 20, 2014}}
Return to education
Khaled was detained in Egypt for two years until 2016. He was then released and returned to Canada.{{Cite news |last=Nasser |first=Shanifa |date=September 1, 2016 |title='A dream come true': Khaled Al-Qazzaz stuck in Egypt since 2013 arrest finally home |work=CBC |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/a-dream-come-true-khaled-al-qazzaz-stuck-in-egypt-since-2013-arrest-finally-home-1.3744932 |access-date=May 31, 2023}} While in Egypt, he was unable to travel, and his legal team worked with local authorities to facilitate his return to Canada.{{cite news|last1=Ward|first1=Olivia|title=Released from jail, ailing Canadian resident still trapped in Egypt|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2015/06/14/released-from-jail-ailing-canadian-resident-still-trapped-in-egypt.html|accessdate=20 July 2015|publisher=Toronto Star|date=June 14, 2015}} During that time, he resumed his Doctorate program at Walden University and re-initiated his work in Education consultancy in Egypt.{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}}
Statements and interviews
Amnesty International reported that any charges brought against him were deliberately fabricated to make him appear guilty.{{cite web|last1=International|first1=Amnesty|title=Letter to The Honourable John Baird re the cases of Mohamed Fahmy and Khaled al-Qazzaz in Egypt|url=http://www.amnesty.ca/news/coalition-letters/letter-to-the-honourable-john-baird-re-the-cases-of-mohamed-fahmy-and-khaled|website=Amnesty International|publisher=Amnesty International|accessdate=20 July 2015}} The United Nations’ Working Group on Arbitrary Detention said that Khaled’s detention was in violation of Egyptian and international law.{{cite news|last1=Letter|first1=Open|title=Stephen Harper, Khaled Al-Qazzaz needs your help|url=https://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2014/07/15/stephen_harper_khaled_alqazzaz_needs_your_help.html|accessdate=20 July 2015|publisher=Toronto Star|date=July 15, 2014}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20150108114802/http://www.freekhaledalqazzaz.com/ Free KQ] archive
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