The Egyptian Cairo Criminal Court renewed the detention of the Egyptian poet Galal El Behairy for 45 days, pending investigations, after being charged with affiliating with terrorists, and disseminating false news.
The court’s order came as the imprisoned poet continues his open-ended hunger strike for the 22nd day in a protest against his arbitrary detention.
In a leaked letter, El Behairy affirmed that he has been engaged in a hunger strike on March 5, demanding his immediate release after five years of arbitrary detention.
Galal El Behairy has been held in detention since March 2018 after penning a song critical of Egypt’s policies, prompting United Nations human rights experts to urge the government to release him immediately.
The song ‘Balaha’, performed by Ramy Essam, went online on February 26, with the music video quickly going viral and drawing over 3.7 million social media views.
Just five days later, El Behairy was arrested by the National Security Police and detained for a week at an undisclosed location, before being charged with affiliating with terrorists, “disseminating false news, abusing social media networks, blasphemy, contempt of religion, and insulting the military” according to a statement released by six UN rights experts.
At the time of his first court appearance, he showed signs of torture and beating. His first trial in Military Court began on May 6, after being delayed three times.
The poet’s detention took place against a backdrop of restrictions on artistic and other forms of expression, as well as on the right to participate in the country’s cultural life.
