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January 17, 2021The hearing on the renewal of pre-trial detention was held in Cairo for Patrick Zaki, the Egyptian student of the University of Bologna in prison in Egypt for almost a year on charges of subversive propaganda on the internet.

It was learned in the Egyptian capital where it is specified that - like the time before December - for now there are no indications on the outcome of the hearing, that is, if the imprisonment will be renewed for another 45 days or if the release will be ordered. 



An official from the Italian embassy in Cairo, along with other diplomats, now from the French, Dutch and Canadian embassies, attended the hearing on the renewal of the custody of Patrick Zaki.

This was learned in Cairo, where Patrick is being held in the Tora prison. 



The officials went to the court on an Italian initiative, as part of the European Union's procedural monitoring mechanism.

The Zaki case is currently the only one actively monitored by a group of countries, and this always on the initiative of the Italian embassy in Cairo, while the monitoring mechanism as a whole remains temporarily suspended due to Covid.

The four diplomats who attended today's hearing were able to see Patrick Zaki and greet him, finding him in "good condition".

The student repeatedly thanked the diplomats present for the support that comes from the EU and their countries. 



Zaki is under investigation for five crimes, the same contained in the arrest warrants that regularly target activists, lawyers, journalists, dissidents and human rights defenders: threat to national security, incitement to illegal demonstration, subversion, dissemination of false news and propaganda for the terrorism.

Identifiable crimes, according to the Egyptian anti-terrorism prosecutor, in 10 posts published on Facebook, which according to Zaki's defense were written on a fake profile.