Press release
The Committee for Justice (CFJ) has monitored that Egyptian political activist and human rights defender Mohamed Adel announced a hunger strike from within his prison cell at Gamassa Prison on Sunday, August 18th. This protest is against the non-inclusion of his pretrial detention period as part of his overall sentence.
– Arbitrary Measures:
In July, Adel began a “partial” hunger strike by refusing to accept the prison-provided food (“tayeen”), and this has now escalated to a total hunger strike.
Adel has completed six consecutive years in detention, in addition to having spent a year and a half under police surveillance, and prior to that, three continuous years in prison on charges of protesting.
If the pretrial detention period were to be included, Adel would have been eligible for release in February 2025, rather than in September 2027. His family has filed a complaint, number 45933 of 2024, to the technical office of the Public Prosecutor, requesting the inclusion of the pretrial detention period, the correction of this error, and an end to the arbitrary actions against their son.
– Calls for Respect and Implementation of Laws:
CFJ affirms its solidarity with Adel in his hunger strike, recognizing it as his human right, and urges the Egyptian authorities to cease arbitrary actions against him.
CFJ also emphasizes that the non-inclusion of Adel’s pretrial detention period is in violation of Article 482 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which states that “the duration of the deprivation of liberty shall be calculated from the day the accused is arrested, with consideration given to reducing it by the period of pretrial detention.” Similarly, Article 483 of the same law states that “the detainee has the right to have the total period of pretrial detention included in the final sentence.” CFJ calls for the respect and enforcement of these laws.
