The Egyptian authorities are holding Patrick Zaki, a researcher, in detention despite a December 7, 2021, release order by Mansoura Misdemeanor Court.
The court in the Nile Delta city of Mansoura has ordered Zaki’s release pending trial and postponed his trial until February 1 to give prosecutors and defence lawyers time to prepare their arguments.
Zaki was arrested on February 7, 2020, after he landed at Cairo’s international airport on a family visit.
He was accused of “spreading false news” in relation to an article he wrote about the plight of Christians in Egypt.
Zaki had been held in pretrial detention for more than a year-and-a-half before his trial began in September.
He was subjected to severe physical torture during his detention in the form of beatings and electric shocks.
A UN expert has earlier deplored the arrest and prolonged pretrial detention of human rights defenders and bloggers, and their accusation of being members of a terrorist organisation, continuing Egypt’s practice to intimidate and criminalise human rights defenders, journalists and their families.
“I am extremely concerned by the seemingly unrelenting efforts of the Egyptian authorities to silence dissent and shrink civic space in the country, despite repeated calls from UN mechanisms and the international community,” said Mary Lawlor, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders.
She further urged the immediate release of all detained rights defenders, journalists, civil society actors and their family members.
