Press release
Geneva – July 15, 2024
The Committee for Justice (CFJ) has monitored the reappearance of labor leader Maher Ahmed Hezima, a former member of the Egyptian Trade Union Federation and the Shura Council representing workers in Damanhour, Beheira, as well as a member of the Constituent Assembly for drafting Egypt’s 2012 Constitution. Hezima appeared before the Supreme State Security Prosecution on Sunday, June 23, 2024, after a period of enforced disappearance.
This marks the sixth case in which Hezima has been recycled through detention since he surrendered to the public prosecution in Beheira on October 23, 2013, after learning of accusations against him related to participating in destructive acts following the dispersal of the Rabaa sit-in on August 14, 2013.
Hezima has received two court rulings and served 10 years in prison. He was acquitted in one case and released in two others, only to be detained again in a sixth case. The Supreme State Security Prosecution has charged Hezima with joining a terrorist group, promoting its activities, and taking on a leadership role within it.
Hezima, a cancer survivor, previously underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatment and requires regular health check-ups and biannual examinations, which he has been deprived of during the 11 years he has spent in prison.
It is worth noting that Hezima’s daughter, Somaya Maher, is also a political detainee. She was arrested by the General Intelligence Service in 2017, subjected to a year of enforced disappearance, and is currently being tried in the high-profile “Espionage with Turkey” case.
CFJ demands an end to the arbitrary measures against Hezima, his immediate and unconditional release, and the provision of necessary medical care for his condition.