Washington calls on Cairo to release researcher Patrick Zaki

The United States called on Egypt on Wednesday to release Egyptian researcher Patrick Zaki, who was sentenced to three years in prison the previous day on charges of "spreading false information."

Zaki was arrested in 2020 on terrorism charges after publishing an article in 2019 about human rights violations against Coptic Christians, the largest Christian minority in the Middle East, who make up 10-15 percent of Egypt's 105 million population.

The US Department of State said in a tweet on Wednesday, "We are concerned about the three-year prison sentence for Egyptian human rights defender Patrick Zaki" and called for "his immediate release, as well as other arbitrarily detained prisoners."

Zaki, a 32-year-old specialist in gender studies, spent 22 months in pretrial detention before his trial, which took place on Tuesday before an emergency State Security court whose verdicts are not subject to appeal.

The verdict against him has sparked international condemnation, particularly from Italy, where Zaki was studying before his arrest upon his arrival in Cairo.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reaffirmed Italy's commitment to taking a positive stance regarding Zaki, and the Italian Senate voted in favor of granting him Italian citizenship.

Meanwhile, more than 40 Egyptian and international non-governmental organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, condemned the trial, stating that it was marred by violations of the right to defense. Some of them stated that Zaki had been subjected to beatings and electric shocks during his detention.

Additionally, three prominent activists announced their withdrawal from the "National Dialogue" launched by the government in early May to discuss sensitive issues, less than a year before the presidential elections.

Since coming to power in 2014, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has imprisoned tens of thousands of opponents, according to non-governmental organizations that condemn the brutal repression against academics, among other things.

Egypt ranks last in the world in the Academic Freedom Index, along with Saudi Arabia and China, according to the Academic Freedom Index.

On the other hand, Cairo promotes its "new strategy for human rights."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AFP