Egyptian prisoner of conscience Abdulrahman al-Shuwaikh has been subjected to severe torture, in order to force an end to his hunger strike.
Al-Shuwaikh’s hunger strike began on Friday 28 January, as a protest against the conditions of his mother’s detention, including her being denied visits, which are guaranteed under Egyptian law.
In response to his hunger strike, authorities of Minya high-security prison, where al-Shuwaikh is being held, tortured him, with treatment including prolonged periods of suspension by his ankles.
His mother, Hoda Abdelhamid, 55 years-old, is herself a prisoner of conscience. According to another son, Omar al-Shuwaikh, Abdelhamid is suffering a “slow death” in solitary confinement.
Via his Facebook page, Omar al-Shuwaikh has said that his mother is being denied even the chance to attend court appearances.
“We do not know how to get news of her. In prison, she has been forgotten; it is as if nothing has happened [so far as the authorities are concerned]. We pray for her, at least.”
Hoda Abdelhamid is being detained in al-Qanater prison. She suffers from diabetes, fainting fits, and tooth and hair loss, and is in urgent need of medical care.
Abdelhamid was arrested in late April 2021, after she circulated a claim made by her son, Abdulrahman, that he was sexually assaulted in Minya prison. Her husband Gamal Metwally Ibrahim, 65 years-old, and their daughter, Salsabil al-Shuwaikh, 18 years-old, were also arrested.
Abdelhamid and Ibrahim were both “disappeared” after their arrest, before being charged in 2021 through case number 900. Their daughter was released four days after her arrest.
The Egyptian regime has been accused by numerous national and international human rights groups of using the police and judiciary to silence political opponents.
