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Egypt: A year of arbitrary pre-trial detention for journalist Solafa Magdy and her husband Hussam El Sayed.

November 26, 2020, Cairo, Egypt— Journalist Solafa Magdy and her husband, photojournalist Hussam El Sayed, have spent a year in prison while their son grows up without his parents. The Coalition For Women In Journalism calls upon the Egyptian authorities to show mercy and release the journalists to reunite with their six-year-old son.

Solafa Magdy, along with her husband, photographer Husam Elsayed, and journalist Mohamed Salah were arbitrarily arrested on 25 November 2019 at a café in Dokki, Cairo. Their whereabouts were unknown for over 18 hours before being interrogated as part of the Cairo criminal court’s pending case No. 488 in 2019. They are facing charges of joining a terrorist organization and spreading false news in the wake of similar arrests taking place in the country. A lawyer representing Solafa said that she was subjected to violence and mistreatment during her interrogation.

On August 31, Solafa was interrogated in the pending case no. 855\2020 regarding national security and ordered to serve 15 days in pre-trial detention. The couple will face a new prison term after the end of their current pre-trial detention pending case no. 488\2019. The Supreme National Security Prosecution office interrogated Solafa Magdy and Esraa Abdel-Fattah in a new case over new allegations of joining banned political groups and polarizing fellow inmates to join this group.

According to article 202 of the Egyptian criminal procedures code, pre-trial detention should not be extended for more than two years. To override this article, the Egyptian prosecution office - upon instructions from the national security forces - cites detainees on new cases while they are still imprisoned. Journalists and political prisoners have been targeted by this tactic over five times in the past four months. It seems that the current repressive laws are no longer sufficient for the Egyptian authorities. They manipulate these laws to suppress journalists and prisoners of conscience. Hundreds of journalists and political prisoners spend unlimited time in arbitrary pre-trial detention. The detainees' ultimate hope is to stand for trial, even if they get convicted. They desperately seek a final, perhaps even unjust, verdict to serve their time and be released. Even if prisoners are acquitted from one case, national security will implicate them in a parallel case, creating a cycle of incarceration. By the time a journalist or political prisoner serves their time, they are interrogated in relation to a new case, starting the entire process from the beginning.

Since Solafa and Hussam were arrested, their son Khaled is living with his grandmother, unaware of his parents’ imprisonment. The six-year-old child continues to send letters to his absent parents. Solafa and Hussam missed their son’s first day in school, a very special day for any parents.

Solafa’s mother commented on her one-year imprisonment in a Facebook post: “November 26, 2019, is the worst day of my life. Our last call was at 7:30 on this day. Your son misses you. I look forward to your return”

The Coalition For Women In Journalism prompts the Egyptian authorities to end Solafa and Husam's arbitrary detention and release the journalists immediately to be reunited with their six-year-old son. CFWIJ urges the judiciary authorities to review the status of political prisoners in Egypt and end the practices of wrongful imprisonment.

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The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world, and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.

Follow us on Instagram @womeninjournalism and Twitter @CFWIJ. Our website is WomenInJournalism.org and we can be reached at press@womeninjournalism.org

لقراءة البيان بالعربية