The Egyptian authorities released the three journalists, Amer Abdel Moneim, Hani Greisha, and Essam Abdeen, who have been held in pretrial detention and without having any verdict against them.
Amer Abdel Moneim had been detained since December 18, 2020 in Liman Tora Prison, pending Case No. 1017 of 2020 Supreme State Security Restriction. Abdel Moneim is diabetic and must receive regular insulin shots. He also underwent two eye surgeries prior to his arrest. His health condition worsened in prison due to the poor prison conditions and the lack of medical care, which caused him a severe viral infection last year.
The journalist Mohamed Hani Ali Mohamed Greisha was arrested on September 2, 2020, and subjected to enforced disappearance until he appeared in the Supreme State Security Prosecution in Case No. 864 of 2020 State Security. He was charged with belonging to a terrorist group, misusing social media, and publishing fake news.
Likewise, the journalist Essam Abdeen, director of “Falso” website, was arrested in September 2020, in case No. 864 of 2020 State Security.
The Egyptian Journalists Syndicate has issued a list of 20 journalists held in Egyptian prisons, before the release of the three above-mentioned journalists.
Unregistered professionals arrested bring the number of journalists and media professionals held in prisons to 71, which is three folds the number announced by the syndicate.
On April 1, 2022, the Arab Media Freedom Monitor stressed that it has monitored the continued imprisonment of 69 journalists, before the recent arrest of journalists Safaa Al-Korbagi and Hala Fahmy.
According to the world press freedom rating of Reporters Without Borders, Egypt is ranked 166 in 2020 and 2021, as the media freedoms continue to deteriorate in Egypt.
