Comment By UN Human Rights Office Spokesperson Seif Magango On Jailing Of Human Rights Defender In Egypt

Geneva, 19 July 2023

The UN Human Rights Office is alarmed by the sentencing yesterday of Egyptian researcher and human rights defender Patrick George Zaki to three years in prison, on account of his peaceful expression of views. We urge his immediate and unconditional release.

We are concerned that almost two years since the state of emergency was lifted, emergency courts continue to impose sentences against individuals, including for exercising their human rights, in cases that pre-date the lifting. Coupled with persisting use of restrictive legislation, this practice is creating a chilling effect among civil society actors and further shrinking civic space in the country, despite the ongoing process of National Dialogue.

Zaki was arrested in February 2020 while on a visit home from his studies abroad and accused of “spreading false news about the country’s internal conditions” in connection with an article he had published about his community - the Coptic minority in Egypt. He was held in pretrial detention for nearly two years and reportedly subjected to torture, including beatings and electric shock.

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