Urgent Action: PROTESTER SENTENCED TO THREE YEARS IN JAIL (Third UA Egypt 90.23)

On June 26, 2024, Egypt’s Emergency State Security Court (ESSC) sentenced anti-torture protester, Mahmoud Hussein, also known as the “T-shirt detainee” to three years in prison for wearing an anti-torture T-shirt. He was arrested following the court verdict and taken into custody to serve the remainder of his sentence after he had already spent two years and 10 months in pretrial detention. He is currently held in the El Marg police station, in Cairo, where detainees are banned from visits by families and lawyers. The Egyptian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Mahmoud Hussein as his detention is solely related to the exercise of his human rights.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: November 7, 2024

take action:

• Write a letter in your own words or using the sample below as a guide to one or both government officials listed. You can also email, fax, call or Tweet them.
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contact information:

sample letter:

Your Excellency, or Dear Ambassador,

I am writing to express my concern about Mahmoud Hussein’s arbitrary detention solely for wearing an antitorture T-shirt.

Mahmoud Hussein was first arrested on January 25, 2014, in the aftermath of peaceful protests marking the third anniversary of the January 25, 2011 Revolution for wearing a T-shirt with the slogan “A Nation without Torture” and a scarf with the “25 January Revolution” logo. He is currently held at El Marg police station, where detainees are banned from family visits.  

Mahmoud Hussein’s physical and mental health have severely deteriorated during his time in custody.  Amnesty International documented how following his arrest in 2014, he was subjected to torture and other ill treatment including beatings and electric shocks. He has suffered from chronic health conditions requiring two hip replacement surgeries. In November 2023, he underwent an anal fistula surgery at Badr prison hospital. His family remains extremely concerned about his well-being as his health condition requires regular monitoring by specialized medical professionals. 

I urge you to quash Mahmoud Hussein’s unjust conviction and sentence and immediately release him from arbitrary detention. Pending his release, he must be granted access to his family, lawyers, and adequate healthcare and protected from torture and other ill-treatment. He must be held in conditions that meet international standards for the treatment of prisoners. Reports that he was subjected to torture and other ill treatment upon his first arrest in 2014 must be effectively, independently, and impartially investigated. 

Yours sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]

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