Human rights organisations in Egypt have announced on Monday their support for urgent calls for intervention to save the life of human rights lawyer Mohamed Abou Huraira, who is on hunger strike in an Egyptian prison in protest against the "inhumane" conditions of his detention.
Among the organisations expressing support are the Egyptian Network for Human Rights (ENHR) and the El-Shehab Centre for Human Rights.
In a statement, the ENHR reported that it had received information indicating "the deterioration of the health condition of ... Mohamed Abou Huraira Mohamed Abdel Rahman, 37 years old," noting that he was transferred a few days ago to Badr 3 Prison Hospital to receive treatment after launching a full hunger strike from the first day of Ramadan, in protest against his "harsh and inhumane detention conditions."
"The human rights lawyer and former spokesperson for the Egyptian Coordination for Rights and Freedoms is being held in solitary confinement at Badr Correction and Rehabilitation Center, where he is deprived of the most basic human rights, including the right to exercise, the right to family visits, and the right to direct or indirect communication, as well as the right to exposure to sunlight, which has negatively impacted his physical and psychological health," they added.
Abou Huraira was sentenced to 15 years in prison due to his legal and human rights work supporting political detainees and their families in Egypt. His wife, Aisha Al-Shater, also a human rights advocate, was sentenced to 10 years in the same case.
The ENHR says it holds Egyptian authorities fully responsible for the safety and life of Abou Huraira and called on the Egyptian Attorney General and relevant authorities to "urgently intervene to save him and put an end to the systematic violations against political detainees, which include denial of communication, visits, and medical care".
It also called for "an end to the policy of isolation and psychological and physical torture carried out by sovereign orders, which the Egyptian Network has documented as part of a broader strategy of repression targeting detainees and their families".
Abou Huraira was charged, without evidence, of "joining a banned group", a charge that has been used to persecute thousands of other political prisoners in Egypt.
In a statement, the El-Shehab Center added that he was also subjected to enforced disappearance for 21 days before being brought in for interrogation. The centre explained that "since his arrest, Abou Huraira has faced serious violations of his rights. He has also been denied access to food, drink, and medication for nearly two years — a situation that threatens his life and health".
It went on to state: "Despite having received a single visitation permit from the prosecution, the prison administration refused to implement it, further isolating him from the outside world and his family — including his detained wife, Aisha Khairat Al-Shater, and their two children, Hamza (13 years old) and Hour (10 years old), who have been unable to see him for the entire duration of his detention."
The El-Shehab Center stated that “the peak of the violations against Abou Huraira occurred during his trial before the Emergency State Security Court,” where he was sentenced on 5 March, 2023, to 15 years in prison "following a trial described as unfair."
Egypt is estimated to have upwards of 60,000 political prisoners, one of the highest rates in the world. The regime of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has cracked down on any and all dissent since it came to power in a coup in 2013.
Prisoners are also frequently subject to torture and mistreatment, with many dying in detention.
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