France: mobilization for activist Ramy Shaath, imprisoned in Egypt

It has been almost a year since Egyptian political activist Ramy Shaath has been in prison without having been formally charged. The opponent - who also has Palestinian nationality - was registered last April on a list of individuals considered to be "terrorists" by the Egyptian authorities. This Tuesday, the birthday of Ramy Shaath, his French wife and other relatives symbolically celebrated the 49 years of the imprisoned activist by meeting in front of the Egyptian embassy in Paris.

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Forty-nine colored balloons symbolizing the age of Ramy Shaath, a cake and lighted candles in front of the facade of the Egyptian Embassy in France.

An anniversary that Céline Lebrun-Shaath wanted to celebrate, she who was expelled from Egypt just after the arrest of her husband in July 2019. "  The difficulty of an arbitrary imprisonment is this empty chair at dinner, all family occasions, missed holidays for him and for us. I did not want him to be alone (today) even if it was a symbolic way .. . ", She confides to Nicolas Falez of the international service of RFI

Balloons, cake, candles: Ramy Shaath's relatives symbolically celebrate his birthday in front of the Egyptian Embassy in Paris. This political activist has been in pre-trial detention for almost a year. In April, he was added to a list of "terrorists". pic.twitter.com/94F3dJpLan

The remand Ramy Shaath is renewed every 45 days. His relatives explain that his right to defense is flouted. At the beginning of March, the visits granted to his family living in Egypt were brutally interrupted. His wife is also concerned about the risk of coronavirus contamination, while Egyptian prisons are overcrowded. "  The guards do not practice barrier gestures when we can clearly see that in Egypt today the situation linked to Covid-19 is deteriorating rapidly ... We learned of the death of one of the employees of prison is extremely worrying!  " 

The French authorities assure that they follow "with particular attention" the situation of Ramy Shaath. Egyptian-Palestinian, son of Nabil Shaath, figure of the Palestinian Authority and adviser to Mahmoud Abbas, the activist works in particular for the rights of the Palestinians.

►His portrait on the Amnesty international website

►Read also:  In the midst of a coronavirus epidemic, the Egyptian president is expanding his powers

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• Egypt
• Human rights
• France