• Urgent Action

Urgent Action Update: Arbitrarily Detained Couple Remains Held (Egypt: UA 206.17)

July 11, 2019

On 3 July 2019, a judge ordered the release of Ola al-Qaradawi after over two years of arbitrary solitary confinement over unfounded charges. However, the Egyptian authorities decided to imprison Ola in another case, over unfounded charges including “using her connections in prison to fund terrorist groups”, despite her being in solitary confinement the whole time. Hossam Khalaf, Ola’s husband, is awaiting his detention renewal hearing, which has been postponed until 3 August.

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  1. 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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Public Prosecutor Nabil Sadek Office of the Public Prosecutor Dar alQada Al-Ali, Downtown Cairo Arab Republic of Egypt Fax: +202 2577 4716
Ambassador Yasser Reda Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt 3521 International Ct NW, Washington DC 20008 Phone: 202 895 5400 I Fax: 202 244 5131 Email: [email protected] Twitter: @EgyptEmbassyUSA Salutation: Dear Ambassador
Dear Counsellor, On 3 July 2019 a judge ordered Ola al-Qaradawi’s release under probation. However instead of releasing her, on 4 July, the Supreme State Security Prosecution decided to charge her with new, similar charges and imprison her again. She was charged with “using her connections in prison to fund terrorist groups”, despite being in solitary confinement the whole time. Ola began a hunger strike against the decision. Since 30 June 2017, Ola al-Qaradawi has been held in pre-trial detention, in Al-Qanater Women Prison in Qalyubia governorate, over unfounded charges. Her solitary cell is about 160 cm by 180 cm, without a bed or toilet and without sufficient ventilation and lighting. Hossam Khalaf, Ola’s husband, is awaiting his detention extension hearing, which has been postponed until 3 August 2019. The last time that a judge extended his detention was on 17 April 2019 for 45 days. Since then, his extension hearing has been postponed three times. Ola and Hossam have not been allowed to receive any visits from their family or lawyers, since their arrest. According to their relatives and lawyers, their health condition has worsened due to the lack of adequate food and medical care. In view of the fact that Ola al-Qaradawi and Hossam Khalaf are detained and charged arbitrarily, in blatant violation of fair trial rights, I urge you to immediately release Ola al-Qaradawi and Hossam Khalaf. I also call on you to ensure that pending their release, Ola al-Qaradawi and Hossam Khalaf are removed from solitary confinement, can receive visits from their families and lawyers and have access to adequate medical care, in compliance with international standards and medical ethics. Furthermore, I urge you to ensure that all prolonged solitary confinement is brought to an end. Yours sincerely, ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
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