15 September 1997
Alert
Novelist Ala'a Hamed freed pending ruling from the Court of Cassation
Incident details
Ala'a Hamed writer(s) released(WiPC/IFEX) - On 3 August 1997, Ala'a Hamed (also reported as
Allaa Hamed and Alaa Hamed) and his lawyers appeared before
the Cairo Appeal Court to petition judges to suspend Hamed's
one-year prison sentence until the Court of Cassation issues a
final ruling on the case.
**Updates IFEX alerts dated 15 August, 25 July, 25 and 2 June
1997**
In court, Hamed protested against the poor prison conditions
and reportedly stated that he would be driven to suicide if he
was forced to remain in prison. It is believed that Hamed's
health is precarious and that he has not received adequate
medical treatment while in detention. The petition was
accepted and Hamed was subsequently released.
According to WiPC, this release is only a temporary measure
and Hamed may be re-arrested should the Court of Cassation
decide that there were no procedural irregularities in his
trial. The exact date for the ruling is not yet known.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to authorities:
Ala'a Hamed's sentence but expressing concern that he may
still face further imprisonment
his right to freedom of expression
Appeals To
General Hassan al-Alfy
Minister of the Interior
Ministry of the Interior
Al-sheik Rihan Street
Bab al-Louk
Cairo, Egypt
And the diplomatic representative in your country:
(In Canada)
Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt
454 Laurier Avenue East
Ottawa, ON
K1N 6R3
Fax: (613) 234-9347
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
Source:
Writers in Prison Committee, PEN International
Brownlow House
50-51 High Holborn
London WC1V 6ER
United Kingdom
wipc (@) pen-international.org
Phone: +44 20 74050338
Fax: +44 20 74050339
@pen_int
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