Labour lawyer and activist Haitham Mohamedain has been freed from jail in Egypt, after a judge ruled that he should no longer be held in pre-trial detention. Alongside several co-defendants he was facing charges related to alleged membership of a terrorist organisation, and incitement to protest over the rise of fares on the Cairo Metro.

Haitham’s detention sparked an international campaign, with over a thousand trade unionists and activists from around the world signing a statement calling for his release.

Public meeting – Egypt and human rights
Hosted by the Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers
6.30pm, Thursday 18 October
University of Law, 14 Store Street, London,WC1E 7DE

https://en-gb.facebook.com/events/597575750639614/

• Dr Taher Mukhtar, activist in the Egyptian Doctors’ Union and former political prisoner
• Anne Alexander, Egypt Solidarity Initiative and co-editor, Middle East Solidarity magazine

Anyone who speaks out against social injustice, sexual harassment or even expresses criticism of the President on social media in Egypt today risks arrest and imprisonment. No wonder that Amnesty International has dubbed the country “an open air prison”. Haitham Mohamadein, a campaigning labour lawyer and socialist lawyer was recently released after months in jail accused of inciting protests over the rising cost of fares on the Cairo Metro. Thousands more remain in jail, not only those accused of being political opponents of the military regime, but several women who have courageously documented and spoken out against sexual harassment, such as Amal Fathy who was handed a two-year jail sentence in September.

Yet the British government continues to back the Sisi regime, encouraging UK businesses and higher education institutions to deepen their ties with the dictatorship. A delegation of UK universities toured Egypt earlier this year, lured by promises of potentially lucrative deals to build new branch campuses in the country.

Join our discussion about the current state of human rights in Egypt today, and what we can do in the UK to build solidarity with those who are resisting the crackdown.