Since the 2013 military coup, Egypt has been holding more than 60,000 political prisoners in brutal conditions. Anyone, and seemingly everyone, who speaks openly about the military coup, and opposes the rampant injustice and oppression in the country is targeted for disappearance and imprisonment. Conditions were recently brought to international attention when former President Muhammad Morsi died in June due to medical neglect in an Egyptian courtroom.
One common trend of the Egyptian's security forces is to target Muslim women, particularly mothers. Three mothers recently imprisoned are Ola Al Qaradawi, Aya Alaa Hosni, and Reem El Desouky.
Ola Al Qaradawi, an Egyptian with permanent residency in the state of Washington in the USA, and the daughter of the popular Egyptian Sheikh Yusuf Al Qaradawi, has been held in torturous conditions of solitary confinement since June, 2017 without any conviction. She was ordered released on July 3rd, 2019, but then was sent back to solitary confinement the next day on new charges. She is currently on hunger strike.
Ayaa Alaa Hosni, an Egyptian journalist, was disappeared in June, 2019. She is currently in prison, and is being targeted because she spoke to the media about the imprisonment of her husband, Hassan Qabbani. After the coup, he was imprisoned for several years, and only recently released. The couple have two daughters.
Reem El Desouky, an Egyptian-American resident of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, was disappeared and imprisoned when she arrived in Egypt on July 8th, 2019. She has a strong reputation in the community in Pennsylvania, and wished to go visit family in Egypt, when, reportedly, her ex-husband reported her to the Egyptian authorities. The United States Embassy in Egypt refuses to support her release, despite her US citizenship.
Please share this information widely and speak up for the prisoners in Egypt. They have no other advocates besides you!
