Human Rights Defender Released

Egyptian human rights defender and prisoner of conscience Ibrahim Ezz el-Din was released on 26 April 2022 after 34 months of arbitrary detention, stemming solely from his peaceful human rights work.

NO FURTHER ACTION IS REQUESTED. MANY THANKS TO ALL WHO SENT APPEALS.

Human rights defender and researcher at the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms Ibrahim Ezz el-Din was released on 26 April 2022, after 34 months in arbitrary detention, stemming solely from his peaceful human rights work. He was never tried or formally charged but held pending investigations into two separate cases over baseless accusations of “membership in a terrorist group”. Security forces subjected him to enforced disappearance for 167 days, during which time he said he was tortured and his health deteriorated. Throughout his detention, he was denied access to adequate specialized healthcare for his multiple health conditions. Amnesty International considered Ibrahim Ezz el-Din a prisoner of conscience, detained solely for his human rights work.

His release follows sustained global interventions and public campaigning. Amnesty International members and supporters signed petitions and sent letters to the Egyptian authorities calling for his release. Ibrahim Ezz el-Din addressed this message to all those who campaigned for his release, including Amnesty International members and supporters:

“My colleagues, defenders of human dignity and the right to a decent life. Throughout the almost three years I spent in prison, I felt that every day I was losing a part of my soul, and losing hope of returning to life again, to freedom. The only thing that enlightened my days and gave me hope was the news I was receiving that people still remember me and demand my freedom. In the darkest moments of despair that] I lived inside prison, the news of the campaigns calling for my release was my only motivation to keep going and have hope. I would like to thank everyone who contributed to campaigning and defending me from inside and outside Egypt. I especially thank Amnesty International, and all its employees and members: you were the rays of sun in pitch dark. Words of thanks cannot express my gratitude to all of you. We need to keep talking about the detainees, as it will give them hope of escaping the injustice inflicted upon them. Thank you all.”

Amnesty International will continue to campaign for the release of those unjustly held in Egypt solely for peacefully exercising their human rights.