Haitham Mohamedain appearing in court while detained

Socialist activist and labour lawyer Haitham Mohamedain walked free from detention early on 14 October, five days after a court ruled he should be released. Haitham was one of a number of prominent activists who was arrested during the crackdown on protests over the Tiran and Sanafir Islands in April this year. He spent more than six months in detention, under threat of prosecution for a range of serious charges including “membership of a terrorist organisation”.

Haitham’s arrest and detention sparked a solidarity campaign in Egypt and far beyond, with trade unionists, activists, journalists and lawyers among his supporters. In the UK, Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, Bakers’ Union leader Ian Hodson and John Hendy QC backed the campaign for his release, along with hundreds of others.

What you can do:

• There are tens of thousands of Egyptians still unjustly detained by Sisi’s repressive regime, take action and show your solidarity with them today
• Find information about the Alexandria Shipyard workers campaign here
• Support the solidarity campaign for Irish school student Ibrahim Halawa, detained in Egypt since 2013, more info here