Dr Taher Mokhtar and two other activists were released from detention on 11 August. A Cairo court had ordered their release on bail nine days earlier on 3 August. They spent seven months in detention facing baseless charges.
Dr Taher Mokhtar, Hossameldine Hammad and Ahmed Mohamed Hassan were released on 11 August, after spending seven months in detention facing baseless charges. The Giza Criminal Court had ordered their release nine days earlier on bail of 5,000 Egyptian pounds (US$562) each. They were released pending investigations into their case, and these investigations have not yet closed, Dr Taher Mokhtar told Amnesty International on 25 August.
The three activists had been arrested on 14 January by plainclothes police at their apartment in central Cairo, ahead of the fifth anniversary of the “25 January Revolution”. They were detained on charges that included “being in possession of leaflets calling for changing the Constitution and overthrowing the regime”, “inciting protests” and “participating in protests and violence since 25 January 2011”. The authorities presented no evidence that substantiated the charges against the activists.
Dr Taher Mokhtar is a well-known human rights activist and member of Egypt’s Doctors Syndicate working for detainees’ right to healthcare, as well as the rights of workers, minorities and in particular refugees. Hossameldine Hammad is a computer programmer and Ahmed Mohamed Hassan a law student.
Dr Taher Mokhtar told Amnesty International on 25 August: “Thanks a lot for your solidarity with us, I'm thankful to every activist who showed any means of solidarity to our case, it made a difference! Crisis situations show that solidarity among human beings is the most obvious way for a better future for humanity. We are now free and out of the prison but we were just three among tens of thousands of prisoners and detainees still in the prisons of the repressive regime. Freedom for all human rights defenders. Freedom for all prisoners of conscience.”
Amnesty International will continue to monitor their case for any developments.
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