Woman detained in Egypt over 'sister's activism'
There has been no contact with Eman el-Shazly since she was detained, her husband says.
Eman el-Shazly, a mother of four from Birmingham, has been apprehended by Egyptian authorities, with her husband and lawyer asserting the detention is linked to her sister's online activism.
The 45-year-old, from Handsworth Wood, was taken from her mother's residence in Cairo during the early hours of Monday, August 17. Her husband, Zeesharn Moustapha, stated this occurred approximately 24 hours after Egyptian security forces "ram-raided" the property, instructing her: "You need to tell your sister to stop."
Three of el-Shazly's other siblings have also been detained; her two brothers were already in custody when she was taken, and another sister was apprehended shortly thereafter.
The BBC has attempted to contact the Egyptian consulate in London for comment but has not received a reply.
Moustapha expressed the family's distress, saying, "The family's a bit traumatised. [The children] are heartbroken. We really need the UK government to get their fingers out as quickly as possible."
A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) confirmed, "We are supporting the family of a British national detained in Egypt, and are in contact with the authorities."
Moustapha informed the BBC that his wife had traveled to Egypt to care for her elderly, ailing mother, who had been making 18-hour round trips to deliver food to el-Shazly's two detained brothers. He alleged that Egyptian detention centers do not provide food for those held there.
"There's 30 people in a cell and they all sleep on a concrete floor. Each day one inmate's family brings food for all people," Moustapha described. "If that family cannot afford it, they don't eat. Imagine the worst scenario, and it's even worse." He added that his wife went to Egypt to assist her mother with the "headache" associated with this situation.
However, in the early hours of Sunday, August 16, Moustapha recounted that Egyptian security forces "ram-raided" the Cairo house, ordering el-Shazly to prevent her sister from criticizing the Egyptian government in her YouTube videos. "They went into the property and smashed the place up, even bending forks and knives," he stated.
Approximately 24 hours later, he said el-Shazly called him, screaming, "they're coming to get me."
Since her detention, the mother-of-four has been held at the 10th Ramadan Rehabilitation Centre, a fact confirmed by Egyptian authorities to the FCDO.
Her lawyer, Arfan Rashid of Rashid Law, told the BBC: "These are trumped up charges and an attempt by Egyptian authorities to silence a political activist in UK – her sister. In my opinion, there is ample and compelling evidence this is just punishment by proxy." He further noted that her detention is part of a "longstanding and documented pattern of pressure" on her sister.
El-Shazly's sister expressed regret to the BBC over her family's detention, calling it a tactic used by the Egyptian government to silence critics. However, she affirmed her commitment to continue posting videos, believing it is her duty to take a stand.
Rashid also pointed out that if Egyptian authorities had wanted el-Shazly, she would have been detained upon entering the country. "There is a history of authorities targeting these families who have people in their family who are activists," he said.
Furthermore, el-Shazly shares the same case file number as her two brothers, Hassan and Eid, who Rashid states face "substantially identical allegations." The brothers were initially arrested in 2020, spending nearly three years in pre-trial detention before their release. They were subsequently re-arrested at their home on May 19, and their detention has been repeatedly renewed.
Arfan Rashid asserted that there is "ample and compelling evidence" that el-Shazly's detention is an attempt to silence her sister.
Moustapha maintained that no laws had been broken and that his wife's detention was "just punishment for her sister making videos." He added, "Her family has historically been tortured," alleging that her cousin was electrocuted during a four-day detention and has been unable to speak since.
There has been no contact with el-Shazly since her detention.
Moustapha voiced concern over what he described as the UK government's "lacklustre at best" involvement, particularly the absence of a wellness check. He also stated that he had to inform the FCDO of his wife's whereabouts. The FCDO declined to comment on these allegations when approached by the BBC.
Moustapha said the majority of support he has received has come from Perry Barr MP Ayoub Khan and Rashid Law. He now hopes the case will be escalated to Alistair Burt, the UK's first envoy for complex consular cases.
As he and his family await news on el-Shazly and her three siblings, 12 children are waiting for news about their parents.