Alaa Abdelfattah, a leading figure in the 2011 Egyptian revolution and well-known political activist has been on hunger strike since 2 April. His life is in danger, yet the Egyptian authorities continue to deny him basic dignity and rights. According to the FreeAlaa campaign website: “Alaa is a writer, software developer, award-winning human rights blogger,…
Three prominent opposition activists, former MP Zyad el-Elaimy, journalist and socialist activist Hisham Fouad, and Nasserist activist Hossam Moanis were given between 3 and 5 year jail sentences on trumped up charges by an emergency court in Cairo on 17 November. Just a day later, Prince Charles and Camilla were photographed by the world’s media…
Journalist Hisham Fouad has been detained for over two years since being arrested on 25 June 2019. Although the legal limit for ‘pre-trial’ detention in Egypt has now expired he remains in jail, incarcerated in a windowless cell without proper access to medical treatment. Along with former MP Zyad el-Elaimy and journalist Hossam Moanis and…
Dozens of leading figures in the Greek trade union movement, lawyers and activists have spoken out in solidarity with Egyptian political prisoners, following the news of hunger strikes by prominent activists over their continued detention. These include journalist Hisham Fouad, graduate student Ahmed Samir Santawy and Ola al-Qaradawi, who has been detained in solitary confinement…
A message from the socialist activist Hisham Fouad from inside prison announcing his hunger strike which has been ongoing since Saturday 10 July in protest against his continued imprisonment despite having spent more than two years in ‘pre-trial detention’, the maximum period specified in Egyptian law. Hisham was arrested and detained on 25 June 2019. He…
Tuesday 8 June 6-8pm Since 2011 the Middle East has witnessed popular uprisings and revolutions in a wide range of countries. Lawyers have often been at the forefront of these radical movements for change, from Tunisia, Syria, Egypt and Libya in 2011 to Lebanon, Sudan and Algeria today. They have also paid a heavy price during…
In Italy, the solidarity campaign with Patrick Zaki, a graduate student at University of Bologna, a human rights activist and a socialist has drawn huge support from the Italian public. The Italian senate decided to grant Zaki hnorary citizenship: 204 members voted in favour out of 241 present members with no objection to the decision.…
Members of the German parliament have issued a statement calling for the release of political prisoners in Egypt, highlighting the case of socialist activists Hisham Fouad, Ayman Abdel-Moati, Haitham Mohamedain, Mahienour el-Masri, Khalil Rizk and Patrick Zaki. Signatories include Michel Brandt, Member of Parliament for Die LINKE parliamentary group, Member of the Committee on Human…
Ten years after the Egyptian revolution shook the world, a vicious military regime has detained tens of thousands without trial in dire conditions. This briefing for trade union activists highlights the cases of six socialist activists who are currently detained on spurious charges. They include journalists, a public transport worker, lawyers and a human rights…
Family members and lawyers are growing increasingly concerned for the health of journalist Hisham Fouad, detained on trumped-up charges of “economic conspiracy” in Egypt for that last one and half year. Hisham has been denied medical examinations and treatment for both a pre-existing pathology in his back vertebrae and new health conditions, including digestive and…
Human rights workers from the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights whose arrest and detention on spurious ‘terrorism’ charges sparked a major international campaign were released on 3 December. Leading trade unionists from Britain and Canada were among those who added their voices to the growing pressure on the Egyptian authorities to release the men –…
Well-known human rights NGO, the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) is facing a coordinated assault by the authorities following the arrest and detention of key members of staff last week. Two of those arrested Karim Ennarah, head of EIPR’s Criminal Justice Unit, and administrative director Mohamed Bashir, have been added to a case opened…
This is an article from the current issue of Middle East Solidarity magazine – help us continue our work by donating £2 for a digital copy online On 15 January 2020, Israel and Egypt announced that Egypt was beginning importing natural gas from Israel. According to Reuters, the agreement entails Israel exporting to Egypt 85.3 billion cubic…
Middle East Solidarity magazine is now available to download. During the Covid-19 crisis we are suspending our print publications temporarily, but you can help support our work by making a donation for your copy below. Click to take out an annual solidarity subscription. Download your pdf of the current issue here. Check here for previous issues. In this issue ……
Four years on from the disappearance, torture and murder of Cambridge University PhD student Giulio Regeni while doing fieldwork in Egypt, human rights organisations, students and academics have raised the alarm as another graduate student and human rights researcher is snatched by Egyptian security forces. Thousands of people have already signed a petition in support…
Egypt Solidarity 