Family of detained journalist Hesham Gaafar files assault complaints

The family of detained journalist Hesham Gaafar submitted a complaint to the prosecutor general’s office on Tuesday, claiming a security officer physically assaulted him as he was returning from a court session on September 12. According to Manar al-Tantawy, Gaafar’s wife, another complaint was submitted to prison authorities on Monday.

The assault allegedly took place as Gaafar was being transferred from a Cairo court, which renewed his detention for 45 days, to Al-Aqrab prison, where he is currently being held.

“The family does not yet know the full details of the assault,” Tantawy told Mada Masr. “We received messages from him saying he had been physically assaulted, verbally insulted and subjected to sexual harassment by a security officer. This all took place in front of prison guards and officials. We are hoping for more details when we visit him on Wednesday.”

Tantawy said that her husband, a journalist from the Mada Foundation for Media Development, had been treated well up until the incident, adding “we were surprised. It seems as if the assault was based on a directive, and was not the act of an individual officer.”

The family issued a statement on September 15, in the wake of the assault, holding the Interior Ministry and National Security Agency accountable for his health and safety. The statement asserted that Gaafar has “lost what remains of his sight while in his cell, and his condition is deteriorating due to his prostate cancer, as prison authorities repeatedly deny him access to medication.”

Tantawy told Mada Masr that during their last visit on the Eid al-Adha holiday in early September, Hesham had informed his family that a recent checkup at the Qasr al-Aini Hospital had revealed he was suffering severe prostate cancer. “He is expected to return for a round of treatment on September 30,” she added.

In July, Tantawy also called upon the Interior Ministry to provide Gaafar with immediate medical care, saying that ongoing medical support and a healthy diet were necessary to maintain what was left of his sight.

The journalist has been in pretrial detention since October 2015, when he was detained on charges of international bribery and membership of an outlawed organization, based on research he did for security organizations without a security permit.

Gaafar’s case is the first application of a 2014 amendment to Egypt’s Penal Code. The amendment criminalized the receipt of foreign funding with the aim of committing acts considered harmful to national security and state interests. Under the amendment, Gaafar could receive up to 15 years in prison.

A number of rights groups have issued statements condemning Gaafar’s ongoing detention, demanding his immediate release.