In an effort to stifle dissenting voices in the nation, the Egyptian government continues to punish relatives of exiled dissidents collectively.
The Egyptian Supreme State Security Prosecution decided to hold the father of Egyptian journalist Ahmed Gamal Ziada for 15 days pending investigations on charges of “joining a banned group, misusing social media, and spreading false news”.
The Ziada Defense Committee was unable to verify the investigation report, uncover the false information being spread about its client, or pinpoint the prohibited organisation he is alleged to have joined.
The defense committee requested access to the investigation report as well as his release pending investigation given his advanced age and difficult health situation.
Journalist Ahmed affirmed that his father, Gamal Abdel Hamid Ziada, was brought before the State Security Prosecution on Wednesday.
Ahmed published a Facebook post, saying: “My father runs a clothing workshop, and his Facebook page only publishes everything related to this workshop as a promotion for his work; his page is also private and does not publish public news.”
According to Ahmed, his father “did not participate in any partisan, political, or collective work throughout his life.”
“I believe that what is happening is nothing but the suppression of journalistic work. It is an immoral targeting of my family,” he added.
The Egyptian regime systematically targets the families of political dissidents, whether at home or abroad, in violation of international humanitarian standards that strictly prohibit collective punishment policy.
