Egyptian human rights campaigners and activists demanded on Friday, their country's authorities to immediately release a student arrested 7 years ago for possessing a camera.
This came in a statement issued by the popular campaign in support of detainees and forcibly disappeared persons in Egypt, known as "their right" (non-governmental), in addition to the tweets of prominent activists.
According to the campaign statement, the young Khaled Mohamed Abdel Raouf Sahloub, a student at the Faculty of Media, has been detained since January 2014 for possessing a camera.
The statement added that Sahloub worked as a freelance photojournalist for some media institutions, and forcibly disappeared for several months during which he was subjected to torture, then he was included in a case known to the media as the "Marriott cell" with a number of journalists from the Qatari Al-Jazeera channel.
(16) Freedom is for photographer Khaled Sahloub,
28, a
student at the College of Mass Communication, who was arrested for carrying a camera and using it for photography !!!
Detained since January 2, 2014 in Scorpion Prison # Alhurriya_Lelfan_Al-Fulani pic.twitter.com/FChAGSJZ3R
- Haytham Abokhalil (@ haythamabokhal1) December 24, 2020
The statement continued, "Despite the exit of all the journalists accused in this case, Sahloub was sentenced to 3 years in prison, which he spent in Scorpion Prison (high security) with a dislocated shoulder, cracks in the collarbone and several head injuries as a result of torture."
The Popular Campaign stated that days before Sahloub was released in 2017, he was included in another case known in the media as the "Helwan Brigades", and he was referred to trial, to remain in prison until now.
He spent 7 years behind bars ... the
family of student Khaled Sahloub is crying out for his release after his health deteriorated pic.twitter.com/isKtZkpMSF
- Monitoring Network (@RassdNewsN) December 24, 2020
There was no immediate comment from the Egyptian authorities regarding the campaign statement. However, in 2014 the Egyptian Public Prosecution Office was assigned to a media network that included 20 people - including Sahlop - charges of committing "crimes of incitement against Egypt, by fabricating false scenes and news."
The head of the Center for Human Rights Victims (non-governmental) Haitham Abu Khalil wrote - via Twitter - "Freedom is for Khaled Sahloub (28 years), a student of the Media College, who was arrested for carrying a camera and using it for photography."
Khaled Sahloub (24 years old)
A photojournalist, arrested from January 2014, on charges of working with Al-Jazeera, was unjustly controlled by 3 years of imprisonment, and during his reign, he had a new case with a date that he was imprisoned at the time !!
Sisi's security forces yesterday forcibly disappeared detainees from Scorpion Prison, "Khaled" was among them! # Freedom_For detainees pic.twitter.com/03hPMpueDA
- Islam Akl (@islamakel) December 24, 2020
Whereas, the Egyptian journalist and journalist Islam Akl said on Twitter that Khaled Sahloub, a photojournalist, was arrested from January 2014, on charges of working with Al-Jazeera, and was unjustly sentenced to 3 years imprisonment, and during his sentence, a new case was fabricated for him at a time when he was already imprisoned. The forces forcibly disappeared detainees from Scorpion Prison, and Khaled was among them.
The human rights file in Egypt faces periodic international and local criticism, due to the arrest of hundreds of opponents, the restriction of freedom of expression, the health neglect of prisoners, and other reasons.
The Egyptian authorities usually reject such criticisms, and say they are committed to protecting and promoting respect for human rights principles.