Egyptian authorities have moved prominent publisher and political activist Hisham Kassem to jail on Wednesday, August 23, awaiting trial on libel and verbal assault charges, according to his lawyer.
Kassem as at the time of his incarceration, had been the head of al-Tayar al-Hurr, aka Free Current, a liberal group established in June in opposition to President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi’s adminstration. Note that al-Sisi is expected to run for a third term by early 2024.
Fellow organiser, Gameela Ismail, had remarked that the coalition was planning to offer and support a candidate for the election, and that the Egyptian authorities had been harassing members since its inception.
Rights groups have since estimated that tens of thousands of individuals have been imprisoned for political dissent under Sisi, who came into power after leading the 2013 ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohammed Mursi.
Kassem was detained soon after the release of different high profile activists, including Mohamed Douma, who had been in prison for 10 years.
Kassem’s lawyer, Lawyer Nasser Amin had told Reuters that it was unclear where Kassem had been moved to and had remarked that his case’s quick referral to trial before a ruling on a request for bail was uncommonly harsh for the crime. His trial has meanwhile been fixed for Sept. 2.
Prior to his detention, Kassem had in recent months been particularly critical of Sisi, an ex-general, and his administration, which over the last year and a half been embroiled in an economic crises.
The initial libel case against Kassem was tendered on Sunday by Kamal Abu Eita, an ex-government minister and member of a committee saddled with recommending pardons.
Kassem had originally refused cash bail, indicating on Twitter (now known as X) and on Facebook posts on Sunday that he felt the case was political but Kassem’s lawyers have submitted a request for bail in a different form and had been surprised by a second case tendered against him (Kassem) claiming verbal assault of public employees while detained.
Kassem has dismissed such allegations as fabricated and had referred both cases to trial.
