Hazem Hamouda released after unlawful detention in Egypt
Brisbane man Hazem Hamouda has been released from detention in Egypt, after an ordeal lasting over a year.
On 25 January 2018 Mr Hamouda flew from Australia to Cairo to join his children for a family holiday, but he was instead arrested at the airport on arrival and later taken to Tora Prison. He was wrongfully accused of sympathising with a terrorist group and spreading fake news, for alleged Facebook posts. His family have been campaigning ever since for his release. Details of their campaign can be seen on social media at the hashtag #BringHazemHome.
Doughty Street International barristers Caoilfhionn Gallagher QC and Jennifer Robinson were consulted by Mr Hamouda’s family earlier this year regarding filing international complaints about his ongoing arbitrary detention. In February 2019 the Prosecutor-General of Egypt ordered his release. However, in extremely concerning developments he was not brought to the appointed police station for release and then disappeared, with no information about his whereabouts being provided to his family or his legal team. Grave concerns for his safety and security were raised with the Egyptian authorities, the Australian Government and the United Nations. International counsel filed urgent appeals with the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) and Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) on 20 February 2019 calling for information about Mr Hamouda’s whereabouts and for his immediate release.
These urgent requests were supported by Peter Greste, a well-known Australian journalist who was previously imprisoned in Egypt. He expressed grave concern about the case, saying these developments “confirms what we have always believed – that these kinds of actions by individuals within Egypt’s judicial system seem to be untethered from any common understanding of justice, and so the judiciary and its work cannot be treated with respect.” Peter Greste’s full statement can be seen here.
For days, Mr Hamouda’s family had an agonising wait to find out what had happened to him and whether he was safe and well. Mr Hamouda then located in prison, having been interrogated by national security authorities. He was then transferred to an alternative facility where his ordeal continued. He was held in a windowless cell under fluorescent light 24 hours a day, without any access to fresh air, with no facilities to keep or prepare food, and with very limited visitation despite him being entirely reliant on visitors for food. Again, his legal team and family were informed he would be released, but his release date was continually pushed back without any justification or explanation, and despite an order for his release having been made a fortnight earlier.
This morning, 6 March 2019, Mr Hamouda was finally released. He is now safe and with his daughter Saja Hamouda in Cairo. They will be leaving Egypt as soon as possible and returning to Australia in the coming days.
Ms Gallagher QC and Ms Robinson said:
“We welcome the news that Mr Hamouda has finally been released, after 405 days of unjust and arbitrary detention. He should never have been detained, and he and his family should never have been put through this ordeal. We call on the Egyptian authorities to ensure he is able to now leave the country safely and return to his home in Australia, after 405 days of agony and absence. We have asked the Australian Government and the United Nations to seek urgent assurances from the Egyptian authorities that he will face no further impediments and will be allowed safe passage from Cairo.”
Speaking in Cairo within hours of his release this morning, Hazem Hamouda said:
"I am overwhelmed with emotions of thanks and sincere gratitude for all those who have helped my family and I go through these hard times. My release will be completed when I am reunited with my family back home in Brisbane."
The family added:
"When Saja got the news that she could collect dad from the police, we were so excited and in a state of disbelief. After all the ups and downs, we couldn't believe that dad was finally officially released. We are still nervous about getting him back home to Australia and hope that we won't face any more challenges."
