More abuse for Egypt Sinai writer, blogger

CAIRO: Reports circulated on Tuesday that the Egyptian interior ministry had escalated its torture of prisoner of conscience Mossad Abu Fagr, a prominent Egyptian blogger who has been jailed since 2007. The continued imprisonment of the blogger persists despite 21 release orders having been issued for him.

According to an Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) press statement, the continued jailing of Abu Fagr comes despite government pronouncements that it would “release all detainees under emergency law before the beginning of June.”

The government, however, did issue a caveat saying that those arrested on terrorism or drug charges would remain behind bars.

“Mossad is detained with criminal prisoners convicted in major crimes in a single cell, in addition to the seizure of his papers and belongings in prison and depriving him of sun light, thereby exposing his health to risk,” ANHRI reported.

The pan-Arab rights group said it was concerned over the promises made by the Egyptian government in an attempt to “justify the extension of emergency law for another two years, when they said that the law would be limited to protection against terrorism and drug trade.”

Abu Fagr was arrested in January 26, 2007. When release orders were issued for him the ministry of interior turned him over to the prosecution in a new accusation. His lawyers managed to obtain release orders in his favor. Once more the ministry of interior used the emergency law to keep him in prison by issuing repeated arrest orders for the writer.

”It seems that the ministry of interior insists on avenging this blogger in every way possible before releasing him as he exposed ministry practices against Sinai citizens and declared his refusal to the official discrimination against them,” said Gamal Eid, ANHRI’s Executive-Director.