The detention of an anti-torture protester in Egypt for simply wearing an anti-torture t-shirt is a blatant violation of his freedom of expression rights.

Development Diaries reports that Mahmoud Hussein is facing 25 years in prison simply for wearing a t-shirt with an anti-torture slogan.

Hussein has been imprisoned without cause since August 2023, and it is understood that his physical and emotional well-being has significantly declined since then.

According to Amnesty International, this is the second time he has been wrongfully detained since 2014.

The Egyptian authorities are stepping up their ridiculous injustice instead of looking into his claims of torture and other cruel treatment and giving him enough compensation for the suffering he endured during his first wrongful detention.

The action of the Egyptian authorities reflects a disturbing trend of suppressing dissent and stifling voices that seek to advocate for justice and human dignity.

Such actions create a climate of fear and intimidation, discouraging peaceful activism and civil discourse.

The right to peacefully express opinions, even if they are critical of the government or its policies, is a cornerstone of democracy and should be protected and upheld by all governments.

The act of arbitrarily detaining someone for peacefully protesting or voicing opposing opinions undermines the principles of an open and democratic society and creates a worrisome trend.

Egypt is bound by the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (CCPR), which it ratified in 1982, and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT), which it ratified in 1986.

To this end, Development Diaries calls on the Egyptian government to abide by its international rights obligations, unconditionally release Hussein, and dismiss all of the accusations against him.

Photo source: Amnesty International