22 Oct 2020; MEMO: Two hundred twenty-two members of the European Parliament (MEPs) sent an open letter to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on 21 October to voice their: “Deep concern about the ongoing detention of prisoners of conscience in Egypt.” The MEPs also called on him to end reprisals against human rights activists, according to German website DW.
The letter came two days after 56 congressmen in the US made a similar call to El-Sisi, stating that human rights abuses in Egypt will not be tolerated if Joe Biden wins the election, while demanding the release of a number of detainees.
They also asserted that the US will resort to sanctions if this message is ignored by the Egyptian authorities.
The release of political prisoners
The MEPs stated in their letter: “At a time when health risks are exacerbated due to the COVID-19 epidemic, we urge you to prioritise the prisoners’ human rights and immediately release those who are detained unjustly.”
The letter also referred to the continued detention of political activist Ramy Shaath, who has been detained for more than a year without having charges pressed against him, along with activist Alaa Abdelfattah and his sister Sanaa Seif.
The letter also referred to the ongoing detention of human rights lawyers Muhammad Al-Baqir, Ziad Al-Alimi, Mahienour Al-Masry, Haitham Muhammadin and Ibrahim Metwally, as well as the researchers Patrick Zaki and Ibrahim Ezz El-Din, and journalists Israa Abdel Fattah, Solafa Magdy, Hussam El-Sayed and Mahmoud Hussein.
The letter also mentioned the joint statement released by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), demanding the release of prisoners of conscience to reduce overcrowding in prisons.
