Egyptian human rights defender arrested in Beirut, later released

Egyptian human rights defender arrested in Beirut, later released
Abdelrahman ‘Moka’ Tarek, who has spent years in Egyptian prisons for his human rights activism, was arrested by Lebanese authorities on Wednesday, before being released later that evening.
2 min read
26 May, 2023

 human rights activist Abdelrahman Tarek was arrested by Lebanese authorities in  on Wednesday before being later released, according to multiple sources. 

Tarek, known by his nickname , had previously been arbitrarily imprisoned for seven years in Egypt for his human rights advocacy, according to Daraj news outlet, where he was tortured by Egyptian authorities. 

Moka was released in June 2022 and moved to Beirut in the winter of that year. 

The UN’s Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders Mary Lawlor tweeted that Moka’s arrest was “extremely disturbing”.

Moka’s sister Sara Tarek posted on Facebook at around 16:00 local time (14:00 GMT) on Wednesday that he was taken from his house by Lebanese security forces for unknown reasons. 

In a follow-up post, she said that Moka was on the phone with a friend when Lebanese officers allegedly burst into his house and overheard that he would be returned to Egypt.

Moka was eventually released by Lebanese authorities on Wednesday evening, according to his sister.