Detained Journalists’ Families Organize Sit-In at Union HQ, Protesting Worsening Cell Conditions

To members of the Journalists General Assembly – to all freedom lovers in the whole world…

We came to the Journalists’ Syndicate today (Saturday) after three years of suffering, during which we knocked on every door of all relevant institutions to secure the freedom of 90 journalists currently languishing in Egypt’s prisons, suffering a slow death while their families suffer as much and the Syndicate and the international community turn a blind eye.

We came today hoping the Syndicate’s Board would indeed act to free our relatives, and that their promises do not vanish without a trace like they did with the previous General Assembly, or their frequent talk of our relatives getting a presidential pardon.

We came today hoping our sit-in would boost the efforts of the Board to win the freedom of their colleagues, our relatives, after the coup regime’s threat to arrest Khaled Albalshi, which the junta regime’s Interior Ministry had to take back after the brave stance by General Assembly members. Evidently, pressure and unity can compel the regime to respond to our demands as well as demands of journalists and the Syndicate Board to release jailed journalists.

Today, we announce an indefinite sit-in, until our relatives are freed. On this occasion, as journalists celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Journalists’ Syndicate, we also announce an international campaign in support of Egyptian journalists in Sisi prisons.