Egyptian authorities released two activists and three journalists after months in pre-trial detention, officials and lawyers say. The move comes after the Biden administration expressed concern over Egypt's arrests and harassment of government critics.
State security prosecutors ordered the release of the five pending ongoing investigations into charges against them, according to two judicial officials. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.
Authorities also released journalist Gamal el-Gamal, said rights lawyer Nasser Amin. El-Gamal is widely known for his columns critical of the government of President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi. Amin posted a photo on Facebook showing him sitting with el-Gamal at home after his release. Authorities also released Abdel-Nasser Ismail, deputy head of the Socialist People’s Alliance Party, after roughly two years in pre-trial detention, his brother Abdel-Mawla Ismail said.
Wadnan, the journalist, was arrested in Feb. 2018 following his interview with Egypt’s former top auditor Hesham Genena who caused uproar after he said former military chief of staff Sami Annan possessed documents incriminating the country’s “leadership.”El-Aasar was also arrested in Feb. 2018. Both journalists face charges of joining a terrorist group, disseminating false news in separate cases.
“We’ve communicated to the Egyptian government our strong belief that individuals such as Hossam Bahgat should not be targeted for expressing their views peacefully,” Price said last week. “As a strategic partner we’ve raised these concerns with the Egyptian government, and we will continue to do so going forward.”
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