December 10th 2019
Gehad Further Subjected To Extreme Conditions After His Acquittal
Since September 11th 2019, when Gehad El Haddad was acquitted of all charges and declared innocent by the Egyptian court of cassation, he has remained detained despite his family paying his bail for release. His lawyer appealed the continued detention and the prosecutor ordered his release again.
In his last meeting with the prosecutor Gehad updated his lawyer with his conditions.
Gehad has been transferred to a new prison cell inside Scorpion Prison. The cell is much smaller than his previous one. The cell has no windows. The food hatch is cemented shut so that no inmate can hear him. There are no lights and he remain in solitary confinement in 24 hours of darkness, he cannot tell day from night and has no sense of time. He is denied access to a bathroom, and instead there is a tiny hole in the ground of his cell for him to use. Since he can no longer stand on his legs, it is extremely difficult for him to go to the bathroom.
The cell he has been placed in is filthy and full of all insects, mosquitos and rats that enter from an exposed sewer pipe. He is denied access to proper food, and instead the food is scarce and often comes rotten and full of insects. The rats contaminate his food. He is denied access to clean water and only allowed two bottles of unclean water for all his needs for drinking and cleaning.
Gehad has been subjected to insults and threats and medicine sent by his family is taken by prison guards.
Gehad suffers from knee cartilage and ligament tears that make it impossible to walk. He has recurrent episodes of fainting and sudden seizures. He has a fungal infection on his feet. His most recent complication is constant shortness of breath.He is being subjected to physical and psychological torture that leaves no physical marks.
The Egyptian authorities continue to deny Gehad any medical help.
Agnes Callamard, UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial killings, together with the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention recently issued a statement and said the following about Gehad and Dr. Essam:
“These two men are effectively being killed by the conditions under which they are held and the denial of medical treatment. It appears that this is intentional or at the very least allowed to happen through the reckless disregard for their life and fate.”
Gehad’s family continues to advocate for the freedom of Gehad and his father Dr. Essam. The family along with the #FreeHaddad campaign calls on the international community to press Egypt for their freedom.
For more information:
freehaddad@gmail.com
https://www.freehaddad.org/
https://twitter.com/gelhaddad
https://www.facebook.com/Foreign.Relations.President.Asst.Egy/
https://www.facebook.com/Gehad-El-Haddad-556812471168476/
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