The family of colleague Hisham Abdel Aziz, a journalist at Al Jazeera Mubasher, who is detained in Egyptian prisons, said that Cairo authorities canceled the decision to release him days after an official decision was issued to release him, according to a decision by the Public Prosecution circulated by lawyers, human rights defenders and members of the presidential pardon committee.
The wife of detained Al Jazeera journalist Samira Al-Taher said in a tweet on her Twitter account on Friday that the lawyer told her that the decision to release Hisham Abdel Aziz was canceled "as if it were not," and the lawyer added that the detainee is still detained pending Case No. 1956 of 2019, in which he is the only defendant.
Case No. 1956 of 2019 relates to the file of "the participation of a terrorist group in achieving its objectives."
The lawyer has just informed me that Hisham's exit decision was canceled as if he was not, Hisham is still imprisoned pending Case 1956 of 2019, in which he is the only defendant. And we don't even know the reason for that. Hisham will complete 4 years in pretrial detention next June. pic.twitter.com/0hvi3pG8oU
— samira eltaher (@samira_eltaher) April 28, 2023
Samira al-Taher added that by next June, Hisham Abdel Aziz will complete 4 years in pretrial detention.
Extension of Detention
An Egyptian court ruled at the end of March to extend the detention of three Al Jazeera Mubasher journalists, who have been detained for years without trial, for an additional 3 days.
The extension decision included colleagues Hisham Abdel Aziz, Bahaa El-Din Ibrahim and Rabie El-Sheikh.
Egyptian security arrested both Hisham Abdel Aziz and Rabie al-Sheikh during a family visit to Cairo.
Oh God, lift your affliction and anger from us, for it is, by God,
for 1408 lean days
, a day of pretrial detention without any guilt
just because he is a journalist!!!!! #هشام_عبدالعزيز Al Jazeera Mubasher journalist is still in pretrial detention simply for his work as a journalist #Freedom_his_Abdulaziz#Freedom_for_the_journalist_his__Abdulaziz#Journalism_is_not_the_crime pic.twitter.com/vcyI8RxrRl
— Ayman Abdelaziz (@aymanabdelazizg) April 28, 2023
In February, Al Jazeera Media Network staff held a solidarity rally in Doha to condemn the Egyptian authorities' continued arrest of the three Al Jazeera colleagues.
In a statement issued at the time, the network expressed its deep concern for the safety of its journalists detained without trial, in cells that lack the most basic health and hygiene conditions, which poses a real threat to their safety and endangers their lives, in light of their suffering from chronic diseases.
The detention of Al Jazeera Mubasher journalists has drawn criticism from Egyptian authorities from Western capitals and international organisations calling for their release.