Cairo: 25 December 2018
The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) said today that Egypt has turned into a big prison for those who have dissenting opinions or critical views. Every day we hear news that an opinion holder is put behind bars, not because of violating the law, but because of an opinion that doesn’t please the National Security apparatus. The 63-year-old writer Ibrahim al-Husseini, who has been in prison since December 9, 2018, despite his illness, is no exception.
Despite that fact that the papers submitted by the political police apparatus, also known as the National Security, don’t include anything that may convict Ibrahim al-Husseini, Shubra al-Kheima Prosecution refused to release him and asked for the National Security investigations once again, as if any Egyptian citizen is presumed guilty until proven innocent.
Since al-Husseiny is well known for his leftist affiliations, it won’t be reasonable to accuse him of the usual fabricated charges of joining a banned group or spreading false news. Hence, a new accusation has been pressed against him; inciting to protest using social networking websites “Facebook” although his account doesn’t include any posts of the sort and is only limited to expressing his critical views.
His family and lawyers have been waiting for this wrong to be undone by his immediate release, either for the lack of charges or for his deteriorating health condition; as he suffers from heart diseases, diabetes and high blood pressure, which requires health care and a certain diet. However, days went by and he was not released, thus making him join a long list of prisoners of conscience in Egypt.
The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information called on the Public Prosecutor to implement the articles of the Constitution and the law, to put an end to the National Security Agency’s encroachment on public freedoms and citizens’ rights, and to stop the use of pretrial detention as a form of punishment and crackdown against opinion-makers and political opponents.
