RMNP urges UN Secretary General to intervene for the release of Aljazeera journalist Mahmoud Hussein
Rural Media Network Pakistan (RMNP) has demanded the immediate release of senior Aljazeera journalist Mahmoud Hussein from Egyptian prison who was originally arrested by Egyptian authorities upon his arrival in Cairo from Doha on a trip to visit family on December 20, 2016. He was interrogated for over 14 hours without a lawyer present, before being released and then arrested again days later.
Hussein has spent 1425 days in the notorious Tora prison as the Egyptian government has repeatedly and illegally extended his detention, accusing him of broadcasting “fake news” and “defaming” state institutions.
We urge UN Secretary General António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres to intervene in this matter and ask Egyptian government for the release of our IPI colleague Mahmoud Hussein as no charges were ever formally brought against him, his pre-trial detention period is now in violation of the 730 days permitted under the Egyptian penal code, and in clear breach of international law, said President RMNP Ehsan Ahmed Sehar in his statement issued here today. “The repeated extension of Mahmoud Hussein already illegal imprisonment is a stain on the record of the President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi government, he added. We demand his immediate and unconditional release, so that he can be reunited with his family and return to his profession, “says RMNP statement.
It is pertinent to mention that Aljazeera journalist & IPI member Mahmoud Hussein, a father of nine, has over 30 years of experience working in Egyptian broadcasters and Arabic-language news channels.
After many years of freelance work with Al Jazeera, Hussein joined the prestigious organisation Aljazeera Media Network full time in 2010 as a Cairo correspondent, covering the 2011 revolution, the uprising against Hosni Mubarak, the election of Mohamed Morsi, and his eventual ousting by the military under the command of incumbent President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
Source: RMNP
