Journalist Mahmoud al-Sakka’s detention renewed for 10th consecutive time

Shubra Prosecution renewed the detention of journalist Mahmoud al-Sakka for 15 days on Saturday.

This is the tenth time Sakka’s detention has been renewed since he was arrested earlier this year alongside fellow journalist Amr Badr. They were both detained on May 1 when security forces stormed the Press Syndicate, claiming they had been seeking shelter there despite an arrest warrant issued by the prosecution.

Sakka currently faces several charges including instigating illegal protests, disseminating false information and attempting to overthrow the regime.

Mohmed Eissa, Sakka’s lawyer, told Mada Masr that there were hopes his detention would not be renewed today following the recent release of lawyer Malek Adly and Badr, both defendants in the same case.

He explained that initially an appeal had been launched collectively on behalf of all the defendants’ in the case, which was rejected. More recently the defense teams launched a series of individual appeals for each defendant, leading to the release of Adly and Badr. Following the renewal of Sakka’s detention the defense must now wait another 10 days before launching a new appeal, to satisfy procedural regulations sating that each appeal must be 30 days apart.

News of Sakka’s continued detention comes in the wake of a meeting held on Thursday by the Press Syndicate’s Freedoms Committee to discuss the conditions for imprisoned journalists, specifically the lack of medical treatment available to their detained colleagues, following unmet promises by authorities that conditions would be improved.

Sakka suffers from low blood pressure, and his family has previously filed complaints with the Doctor’s Syndicate on his behalf, citing his deteriorating health and alleging that prison authorities have repeatedly delayed him from accessing proper medical care.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists Egypt is the world’s second worst jailer of journalists after China, with official statistics putting the number of journalists currently detained at 23, although independent experts say this number is likely to be much higher.