International
Egypt arrests, tortures human rights advocate: Rights group
An Egyptian researcher and activist Patrick George Zaki has been arrested at Cairo’s international airport upon his arrival from Italy, in a move that raised alarm and prompted condemnation by human rights groups.
Zaki had been in Bologna since August 2019 for his postgraduate studies and returned to Egypt’s capital for a brief family visit on Friday, according to the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR).
EIPR said Zaki, who works as a gender and human rights researcher for the group, was taken into custody at the airport and disappeared for 24 hours.
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Zaki’s lawyers said he was beaten, subjected to electric shocks, threatened and questioned about his work and activism before he appeared at a public prosecution office in his hometown, the Nile Delta city of Mansoura, on Saturday, according to EIPR.
Prosecutors ordered him to remain in custody for 15 days pending investigations into a whole host of allegations, including publishing false news, inciting protests without permission and treason
Other allegations included managing a social media account that aims to undermine the social order and public safety, and incitement to commit violence and terrorist crimes, EIPR said.
In a statement published on thegroup’s website, “EIPR demands the immediate release of Patrick George Zaki and an end to continued harassment and arbitrary detention of human rights professionals, members of civil society groups and journalists,”
The Ministry of Interior, which oversees Egypt’s police, said in a brief statement on Sunday that Zaki was being held on a warrant from the prosecution, who ordered him to remain in detention pending an investigation.
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