London – 20 May, 2016
(Ikshef) – The family of the Egyptian journalist Mohammed Al-Batawi composed a message to all whom it may concern to immediately release him as he was detained about a year ago by security forces without clear charges. Arab Media freedom Monitor “Ikshef” obtained a copy of the message. Below is the text of the message:
“Mohammad Saber Al-Batawi is a 31-year-old Egyptian journalist detained since June 2015. He works for the state-run Akhbar Al-Youm newspaper. Al-Batawi hails from a known family working in the field of journalism. During his arrest in 2015, his father was the deputy editor-in-chief of the same newspaper.
Al-Batawi started his career 10 years ago, and was hired in the newspaper since 2008 and got the membership of the Egyptian Journalists’ Syndicate “EJS”.
The young smiling journalist was arrested from his home on June 17, 2015 because of a satirical article entitlrd “Nine Differences Between an Armored Vehicle and an Ambulance”on a country called “Boukhstman”, in which he criticized the killing of a number of workers at a cement factory in the north eastern city of Al-Arish.
Al-Batawi was subjected to forced disappearence for five days, and it was known later that he was kept at the National Security headquarters in Shubra Al-Khaimah district. He was blindfolded, his hands tied, he was beaten and insulted by security forces, and he was asked about whom he voted for in the presidential and the parliamentary elections and about the nature of his journalistic work.
Al-Batawi showed up and departed to Tora prison on June 21, 2015 at night after a communication submitted to the Attorney General by Yahya Qalash the head of EJS in which he accused the Interior ministry officially of kidnapping Al-Batawi.
In a statement reported by Middle East News Agency, an official security source denied kidnapping Al-Batawi, claiming that he was arrested by a prosecution order for belonging to an illegal group – a charge that may refer to belonging to Muslim Brotherhood “MB”-, a charge that was denied by the family of Al-Batawi as he is known for refraining from political parties and groups. The family referred to Al-Batawi’s special articles published on Masr Al-Arabia website concerning dissent within MB. This had angered many of the MB members at that time. (Article link)
So far, Al-Batawi is detained for about a whole year. His lawyer can’t get papers of his case, nor can appeals against being in remand, nor knows a clear charge for Al-Batawi.
Al-Batawi is detained in Supreme State Security case number 503, and at each renewal hearing he asks the judge or the prosecution to inform him of the charges or to know the reason for his detention and the response is always: “We will tell you later” or “You will face the charges later”.
Al-Batawi wrote in an article leaked by him after his disappearance, “Me Mohammed Saber Al-Batawi admit with my own full will and in full mental ability with my name in the case number 503 Supreme State Security for the year 2015 that after four days of detention at the National Security headquarters in Shubra Al-Khaimah, since the dawn of Wednesday, June 17 (2015) and till now for a period of 38 days in Tora prison and after being investigated by the State security prosecution, I still till now in deep love of Egypt, and could not hate it, despite staying tied and blindfolded during the first four days and feeling bitterly injustice throughout the 38 days, and that did not lead me to curse its people and its fellow citizens until this moment.”
“I admit I do not understand my case, nor do I know the reason for a lot of questions, and I cannot imagine a reason for asking me about whom I vote for in both houses of parliament and in the presidency, or about some of what I wrote, and about some people whom I know or do not know.”, Al-Batawi wrote. (Article link)
As a result of poor detention conditions and ventilation, Al-Batawi suffered from skin ulcers and chest allergy, this led his family and the EJS demanding to let a doctor visit him, and after a month and a half of that request, he was visited by a doctor who gave him medicine for epilepsy although Al-Batawi did not suffer from that disease.
Al-Batawi is known for calling for freedom of the press, being independent, writing articles rejecting the arrest of his colleagues, and demonstrating on the steps of the EJS to call for the independence of the press. Among what he notably wrote was an article about the photographer detainee Omar Abdel-Maksoud, in which he predicted his own arrest because of he is advocating freedom of his colleagues. (Article link)
Al-Batawi described in an article the conditions young people are facing in Tora prison by comparing them of these which are in Victor Hugo’s “The Miserables”. So, the prison administration confiscated his papers and pens and banned the entry of any books or pens to him. (Article link)
The family of Al-Batawi demands his immediate release and stopping the farce of his arrest for about a year, and demands that all honest people to show solidarity with his cause.”
