Egyptian authorities have denied Huda Abdel-Hamid both family visits and healthcare for 18 months.
Omar al-Shuwaikh, son of the detainee Huda Abdel-Hamid, who has been imprisoned by the Egyptian authorities for over one and a half years, has called on the “consciences of the free people of the world” to demand the release of his mother.
Al-Shuwaikh has called for the release of his mother through his Facebook page, where he wrote, “My mother is still not allowed family visits; she remains in solitary confinement; no one inside or outside the prison sees her; when someone asks how she is, we have nothing to tell them.”
Huda Abdel-Hamid, 55-years-old, has not been allowed any visits since her arrest in April 2020, after which she subjected – with her husband and daughter – to a period of enforced disappearance.
On her reappearance, and following an unfair trial, she was charged with various crimes and sent to Qanater prison, where she has since suffered numerous violations.
Abdel-Hamid’s son, Abdel-Rahman al-Shuwaikh, is also detained by the Egyptian authorities. He is currently held in Minya prison.
Abdel-Rahman al-Shuwaikh has suffered both physical and sexual abuse whilst held in Minya prison. Subsequent to an incident of sexual abuse at the hands of a prison officer, he went into a prolonged hunger strike.
Abdel-Rahman’s mother, Huda Abdel-Hamid, was charged with various offenses after she complained about her son’s treatment to the Public Prosecutor.
Abdel-Hamid remains in solitary confinement, despite her deteriorating health condition. She suffers from diabetes, fainting fits, and both tooth and hair loss, and urgently requires medical care, which the prison authorities are not providing.
Since President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi assumed power in 2014, the Egyptian authorities have waged an unprecedented crackdown against dissidents and critics. Many thousands have been subject to politically motivated arrest, whilst the judiciary has systematically failed to ensure fair trials or sentencing.
Conditions within Egyptian prisons are now routinely criticized by Egyptian and international human rights organizations. Indeed, even long-term allies of Egypt, including the United States, have criticized the regime’s treatment of its domestic critics.
