Writer Ibrahim al-Husseini arrested, detained in unknown location

Police forces arrested writer Ibrahim al-Husseini on Sunday at his home in the Shubra al-Kheima district of Cairo, rights lawyer Mohamed Abdel Aziz told Mada Masr. Husseini has yet to appear in any prosecution office or police detention center.

Police forces stormed Husseini’s home on Sunday at around 1 am, searching his home and seizing his laptop, mobile phone, tablet and a number of books, according to Abdel Aziz. Security forces then took him to the Shubra al-Kheima Police Station before transferring him to a second, unknown location.

The Shubra al-Kheima Police Station has denied any knowledge of where Husseini is currently being held, or anything else about his arrest, Abdel Aziz stated. The lawyer added that Husseini’s name has yet to appear in the State Security Prosecution and that he will continue following up until the writer reappears.

Husseini’s daughter, Samar, published a post on her personal Facebook page stating that the police had informed her mother that Husseini’s arrest was connected to his social media activity.

Family concern for Husseini’s disappearance has been heightened due to the various health issues he suffers from — including high blood pressure, diabetes and blood clotting — a source close to Husseini told Mada Masr. The source added that he had returned from a doctor’s appointment just before his arrest, and was unable to walk.

The source, who spoke to Mada Masr on condition of anonymity, explained that Ibrahim has written and published several politically themed collections of short stories and poetry.

This year has witnessed an intensification in arrest campaigns against a wide range of individuals, including journalists, writers, political activists and lawyers, who have appeared regularly before the State Security Prosecution for interrogations.

The State Security Prosecution is currently investigating several prominent cases, such as Case 441/2018, which has seen a large number of defendants held in remand detention on charges of joining an illegal organization and spreading false news, including journalists Mostafa al-Asar, Hassan al-Banna and Moataz Wadnan, as well as Masr al-Arabia Editor in Chief Adel Sabry and Egyptian Coordination for Rights and Freedoms director Ezzat Ghoneim. It is also conducting investigations into Case 621/2018, which involves several political activists facing similar charges, including Shady al-Ghazaly Harb, Amal Fathy and Sherif al-Rouby.