Dahab released after picture of her handcuffed post-labor causes uproar

Dahab Hamdy, a 19-year-old woman who, according to lawyers, was handcuffed to a hospital bed after giving birth, was released on Saturday under orders from the prosecutor general.

A picture of the young woman handcuffed to her hospital bed after being in labor late Friday circulated widely on social media and caused uproar among rights activists and lawyers.

Referred to simply as Dahab, her case quickly garnered media attention that, in turn, compelled interior ministry officials to explain the apparent mistreatment of the detainee. The pressure on authorities seems to have been effective, and her release was ordered early the next day, citing health reasons.

While in her third trimester of pregnancy, Dahab was arrested on January 14, the first day of voting in the referendum on the new draft of the constitution. Security was heightened nationwide but clashes broke out, leaving at least 11 dead, as mass arrests took place.

Dahab was arrested in Shubra during the dispersal of protests by supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood. However, she has repeatedly told authorities that she was not involved in the events of the day, and that she was merely on her way to get blood tests and go to her doctor.

In a video interview with the Brotherhood-affiliated Rassd news network, Dahab said she was walking by the police station in the area on her way to get blood tests done when she was arrested with a friend of hers.

She was then taken to the Amiriya police station and charged with protesting without permission.

In the interview, Dahab claims that after telling the officer that she had nothing to do with the protests, he replied “you will give birth in prison, just so you know.”

Her 15-day detention was renewed three times pending investigations.

Lawyers were eventually able to get her transferred to the Zeitoun Hospital late Thursday, where she gave birth on Friday to a baby girl who she named Horreya, the Arabic word from freedom. 

The National Council for Human Rights demanded her release as well as an investigation into when and why she was handcuffed to the hospital bed, according to lawyer Ragia Omran.

In the video, Dahab pleaded to not be sent back to prison and to stay at the hospital so she can care for her daughter.

During a phone-in with television presenter Mahmoud Saad on his nightly talk show, a source from the Interior Ministry attempted to respond to the uproar caused by the picture of Dahab.

While repeatedly saying that all of her “requests are met” and claiming that her rights are respected, he added, “We are trying to balance between what it means for her to be an accused person and also a citizen with rights.”

He claims that the picture was being taken out of context, and that the handcuffs were put on earlier but were quickly taken off as Dahab went into labor and after her surgery.

He also said she was not being handcuffed while breastfeeding.

Nermeen Yousri, a human rights activist who followed the case closely, said on her Twitter account that while Dahab was released, the same case involves a number of detainees who need the same media attention.

Among these is a 65-year-old woman named Naeema Salama, who suffers from diabetes, high blood pressure and respiratory problems, as well as a student named Abu Bakr who was arrested while on his way to a study session. The case also involves a mother of four, whose children have been alone for a month since her detainment, according to Yousri.