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From press to prison : Torturing the journalist Solafa Magdy in prison

Journalist Sulafa Magdy and her husband, journalist Hussam El-Sayyad

The 2nd anniversary of the birthday of the journalist Solafa Magdy comes in her cell. She is in pretrial detention together with her husband, the photojournalist Hossam El Sayyad. However, the anniversary of this new year has a lot of pain and legal demands to investigate accusations of violations against Solafa. These violations reached the point of having a uterine hemorrhage. In a new development in the case no.488 of 2019 by the Supreme State Security, her defense team submitted a report to the Public Prosecutor, demanding investigation in the facts of threatening, harassment and assault against Solafa. In addition to the forced examination of the vagina which led to her bleeding. In which this matter directly affects her health condition.

According to Solafa, at around 1 p.m on November 29, 2020, three guards came to her cell and took her outside the complex. The guards put a blindfold on Solafa’s eyes, then accompanied her to another room where someone spoke to her but she wasn’t able to see him because of the blindfold. The unknown person told her: “ i am the one who will release you in case you obeyed me and i want you to answer all my questions” Solafa said that the unknown interrogator “he wanted me to work with him as a snitch in order to inform him with the names of some persons, where to go and where they do”. She added that she refused, thus he threatened her that she wouldn’t see her son again. In addition, he threatened her by her husband too. Moreover, she referred to a harassment attempt against her without describing in detail what happened.

In addition, Solafa said before the court that “ during she was leaving the prison to attend a session to consider her imprisonment on January 19, 2021 that she was tortured and assaulted And that happened under the pretext of searching her clothes as the guard forced her to take off all her closes, including her underwear. In addition, a police secretary dragged her from the check-in to the deportation cart. Moreover, She revealed what was previously mentioned and was exposed to her in prison. As she underwent a forced examination of her vagina and she bleeded as a result.  Especially since she had previously performed a uterine tumor removal before that. What confirmed Solafa’s statements that when her mother visited her in her custody on January 27, 2021, she found her in a state of severe fatigue. As two female guards tried to help her, so that she could move from her complex to the place which is dedicated for visits in prison. At the visit, she informed her mother that she had a severe bleeding

The strange thing is that both the court and the prosecution did not open an investigation into the incident, question her as a victim, or present her to the forensic medicine office  despite proving Solafa’s statements (the victim) and The traces of torture in her body as an evidence, , but an order was issued to extend her preventive detention and return her to the custody of the authority that tortured her.

The court’s behavior by ignoring the incidents of torture  violates Article 52 of the Egyptian constitution, which stipulated that “Torture in all forms and types is a crime that is not subject to prescription”. (Article 126) of the Penal Code criminalized torturing the accused person in order to make him confess. The article stipulates that “Any public servant or official who orders, or participates in, the torture of an accused person with a view to inducing him to make a confession shall be punished by imprisonment at hard labour or a term of 3 to 10 years in prison.  If the victim dies, the penalty shall be that prescribed for premeditated murder”.Egypt has recognized, ratified and approved the texts and international conventions on human rights, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Political and Civil Rights and the Anti-Torture convention that included many texts that dealt with the crime of torture, limiting and criminalizing it. 

DAAM center stresses that torture was banned from the International Community based on what was approved by the General Assembly of the United Nations in its resolution No.149/52 on December 12, 1997 in order to eliminate completely torture and activate the performance of the Anti-Torture Convention and other forms of cruel treatment or punishment Or inhuman or degrading, as torture is considered a grave crime with no statute of limitations under international law.

The Democratic Transition and Human Rights Support Center (DAAM) calls the Egyptian judiciary, represented by the attorney general’s person, to open urgent investigations into the violations against the journalist and the rest of the detainees pending cases at the State Security Prosecution, as there is no way to establish a just state if its judicial authority is not freed from The grip of the executive and security authority and perform its actual role of monitoring and accountability.

DAAM center sends all support to all activists and citizens who are subjected to violations in prisons. In addition, the center confirms that it would continue defending their legal rights and usurped freedom. And DAAM center demands the immediate release for all prisoners

background

One the evening of November 26, 2019 Sulafa Magdy, her husband Hussam Al-Sayyad, and their accountant friend Mohamed Salah were arrested. On the following day on November 27, 2019, they were brought before the prosecution. On the same day, a decision was issued by the Public Prosecution Office to remand her in custody pending the case. Since then she has been placed in the women’s prison in Al Qanatir Al Khayriyyah

On January 19, 2021, the order to renew the imprisonment of journalist Solafa Magdy. That took place in the Counseling chamber of the third circuit of the Cairo Criminal Court in the Institute of Police Secretaries in Tura At that time, Solafa asked to talk to the head of the circuit and he allowed her. She mentioned the details of violations against her which was from three months.

Based on that, Solafa’s defense team demanded to open an investigation on the violations which she was subjected to. The lawyer Khalid Ali mentioned what was included in the Panel Code from texts that criminalize committing such acts

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