A force of the National Security (the Egyptian official secret police) attacked, early on Wednesday, the house of Professor Taqadum al-Khatib, who lives in Germany, where his elderly parents reside. Members of the secret police inspected the house and seized al-Khatib’s private papers and his father’s mobile phone. The officer heading the force interrogated al-Khatib’s parents about their son’s arrest and his work in Germany, and about if he had moved to Turkey.

Taqadum al-Khatib is a lecturer in Berlin Free University. He stood out in the National Association for Change, the broad front against Mubarak’s rule, which was one of the engines of the January Revolution. In 2017, the Egyptian government withdrew his academic credentials due to his criticism of the political situation in Egypt, but al-Khatib went on to continue his postgraduate studies and gained a PhD in history and culture.

The Arab Network of Human Rights Information condemned the storming of al-Khatib’s house in Luxor by the National Security, the seizure of his private papers and photos without legal permission, and the terrorising of his parents. The network considered the incident as a threatening message to al-Khatib to stop his criticism of the absence of democracy and the ever-expanding political regression in Egypt. The network explained that the incident is an episode in a continuous series of targeting the families of Egyptian political activists abroad, including sending relatives to prison to squeeze the activists and force them into silence.