What happened during my detention

I would like to begin by expressing my gratitude to everyone who showed solidarity with me in any way over the three days that I was “hosted” by the Egyptian army. Neither the timing nor the space are appropriate to retell every detail of those three days so I will only state the facts briefly.

On Sunday, 8 November, I headed to the naval intelligence headquarters after a written summons was sent to my home address three days earlier. I spent nearly three hours at the intelligence headquarters before I was led through a back door to a car, under armed guard, and taken to the Military Judiciary Authority; my request to contact my family, a lawyer or my colleagues who were waiting outside the building was refused.

At the Military Judiciary Authority, I was kept under guard in a car for over five hours, and then I was presented to a member of the North Cairo Military Prosecution to be questioned as a defendant. I resisted several attempts to tempt, persuade and intimidate me to give up my right to contact a lawyer; my insistence on my right paid off when I was allowed to make one phone call to notify a friend of my whereabouts and my need for a lawyer.

In the presence of a number of colleagues, friends and lawyers who have all been through years of struggle, my interrogation began with the chief prosecutor himself. The focus was exclusively on one of my articles published on Mada Masr news site on 13 October under the heading, “The details of the military trial of army officers accused of plotting a coup”. The investigation was based on a complaint filed against me by naval intelligence.

At the end of the interrogation, the head of the prosecution notified me that I was accused of spreading false news that may harm national interests and spreading information malevolently that is harmful to the general peace under articles 102 and 188 of the Penal Code. Once the investigation was over and the lawyers were dismissed, I was handed over to naval intelligence once again, and I waited in the car until 11 pm. Another car with three armed individuals in civilian clothing drove up; after searching me carefully, they moved me into their car. I was then blindfolded and asked to lower my head on the seat in front of me.

At the unknown destination I stood out in the open until a doctor came and asked me if I suffered from any illnesses or if I was taking any medication. He then asked me to take off my shirt and trousers and conducted an external examination of my body. I was allowed to put my clothes back on and I was taken into a building. The blindfold was then taken off and they confiscated all of my belongings, including my prescription glasses. I was led to a small, dark cell, which was empty apart from two blankets on the ground.

About fifteen minutes after I was put in the cell, a guard came and blindfolded me once again before leading me to speak to two officials who did not identify themselves. They told me that the issue would be resolved in the morning and they ordered the guards to improve my detention conditions and transfer me to the “villa”. The guards took me to a modest and clean room with a bed and a small en-suite bathroom. I was allowed to bring in some of the food and drinks given to me by the lawyers.

I stayed in the room secured by a wooden door and iron door from midnight on Sunday until the afternoon of Tuesday, 10 November. During this time, I was not questioned and all my attempts to demand that the guards inform the officials that I want to know the military prosecutor’s ruling regarding my detention, to know what my legal status was — was I a precautionary prisoner, waiting for trial or simply kidnapped — or even meet with any officer, failed.

On Tuesday afternoon, I was blindfolded again and an armed guard escorted me to a car that took me back to the naval intelligence headquarters. I met with two generals for an hour, and for the first time I was told that the prosecution had decided to detain me for four days pending investigations, but that naval intelligence had decided to release me immediately.

At the end of the meeting, I signed a written statement which read, “I will abide by the legal and security measures in publishing any information regarding the Armed Forces” and said that I was not subject to any physical or mental harm during my detention by naval intelligence. They then handed me my personal belongings and allowed me to leave.

I still do not know the results of my interrogation with regards to the aforementioned charges and the defence lawyers will try to get a clearer picture of the matter in the upcoming days.

During my interrogation by the military prosecution, the investigators made sure to tell me several times that I do not have legal or union protection guaranteed by the Journalists’ Syndicate because I am not a member. I would like to give my thanks to the union for appointing a lawyer to attend my questioning. I urge, once again, the syndicate and its public associations to take immediate measures to provide an umbrella of protection for all those practicing the profession, without discrimination.

Ultimately, I was fortunate to have this enormous amount of solidarity and sympathy, which, to a large extent, ensured my good treatment and my short period in custody, despite the procedural violations of my rights as a defendant. I can only express my thanks once again to all of the lawyers, friends, colleagues and international and Egyptian organisations who intervened to express their support and offer their help.

I hope for the freedom of the thousands of individuals detained unjustly in Egyptian prisons. I stress, once again, my rejection and condemnation of the criminalisation of journalism, the use of the Penal Code to detain journalists, and the trial of civilians in military courts.

Translated from Cairo Live, 10 November 2015.