Maghreb Edition

Egypt: Three years in prison and tortured for allegedly spreading “fake news”F

Posted On 19 July 2023

Number of times this article was read : 2973

The United States called on Egypt Wednesday to release rights researcher Patrick Zaki, a day after he was sentenced to three years’ prison for “spreading false news”. “Concerned by 3-year sentence of Egyptian human rights defender Patrick Zaki,” the US State Department said on Twitter, urging the “immediate release of him and others unjustly detained”. Zaki, 32, was jailed over an article recounting the discrimination he and other members of Egypt’s Coptic Christian minority say they have suffered. He had previously spent 22 months in pre-trial detention, and was again taken into custody Tuesday after the court ruling in Mansoura, 130 kilometres (80 miles) north of Cairo.

The drawn-out case has triggered international condemnation, particularly in Italy where Zaki was studying when he was arrested in 2020 on a visit to Egypt. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Tuesday Rome’s “commitment to a positive resolution of the Patrick Zaki case has never ceased,” adding that “we still have faith”. Over 40 Egyptian and international organisations — including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy — have condemned the sentence, which they said followed “a trial rife with due process violations”. Rights defenders have said Zaki was beaten and electrocuted during his detention.

The sentence has pushed three human rights activists to walk out of the government’s “national dialogue” which aims to involve Egypt’s decimated opposition but has been met with heavy scepticism. National dialogue coordinator Diaa Rashwan — who also runs the State Information Service — said Tuesday the dialogue’s board of trustees had appealed to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for Zaki’s “immediate release”. Washington has repeatedly criticised Cairo’s human rights record, accusing authorities of the use of torture, “life-threatening prison conditions” and curbs on free speech.

Egypt is a key ally of the United States and one of its top recipients of  military aid. Though voices within the US Congress had called for broader aid cuts to Egypt over its rights record, the administration of President Joe Biden withheld only $130 million in 2021. In January, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Sisi to “free all political prisoners” — of which rights groups estimate Egypt holds tens of thousands — while welcoming the “important strides” the country had made.

AFP
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Written by The North Africa Journal

The North Africa Journal is a leading English-language publication focused on North Africa. The Journal covers primarily the Maghreb region and expands its general coverage to the Sahel, Egypt, and beyond, when events in those regions affect the broader North Africa geography. The Journal does not have any affiliation with any institution and has been independent since its founding in 1996. Our position is to always bring our best analysis of events affecting the region, and remain as neutral as humanly possible. Our coverage is not limited to one single topic, but ranges from economic and political affairs, to security, defense, social and environmental issues. We rely on our full staff analysts and editors to bring you best-in-class analysis. We also work with sister company MEA Risk LLC, to leverage the presence on the ground of a solid network of contributors and experts. Information on MEA Risk can be found at www.MEA-Risk.com.