He is very happy and relieved that he has just been released, said Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) on Saturday. “As the host of the Central European University (CEU), it is very important to us that the freedom of opinion and academic freedom of all students in Austria is protected,” continued Schallenberg.
Sentenced to three years imprisonment
The 31-year-old student was sentenced to three years in prison by a Cairo court in early July. According to the human rights organization Amnesty International, he was found guilty of spreading false news on social media. The Egyptian studying in Vienna was arrested in February 2021 on a home visit. Santawy did research on women’s and abortion rights. Human rights activists saw this research as the reason for the conviction. Amnesty, the CEU and the Austrian Students’ Union (ÖH) campaigned for Santawy’s release.
In prison since February 2021
“I would particularly like to thank my team at the Austrian Embassy in Cairo, led by Ambassador Georg Stillfried, and at the headquarters in Vienna for their tireless efforts since the arrest in February 2021. The diplomatic channels have been running hot and ultimately led to this good turn of events,” explained Schallenberg.
Since the arrest in February 2021, Austria has emphatically advocated the release of Ahmed Samir Santawy, repeatedly at the highest political level. Most recently, Schallenberg visited Cairo in early July and again discussed the fate of the young man, according to the Foreign Ministry.
Lots of patience and hard work
“We have repeatedly and unequivocally expressed our concern to the Egyptian authorities about the prison conditions and what we consider to be the disproportionate prison sentence. Behind the scenes, we have been working towards this important result with a lot of patience and constant commitment,” said Schallenberg. Austria has also campaigned several times for Santawy’s release in the United Nations Human Rights Council.
“horrendous prison conditions”
“I am overjoyed that Ahmed was pardoned by the Egyptian President last night and released from prison today. Now that his ordeal is ending after 18 months in appalling prison conditions and in violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we breathe a sigh of relief,” shared CEU President and Rector Shalini Randeria in a broadcast on Saturday. She thanked everyone who worked “in the #FreeAhmedSamir movement at CEU and beyond” for the release. Special thanks go to “the extraordinary diplomatic efforts of Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen, Foreign Minister Schallenberg, Secretary General Launsky-Tieffenthal and the officials of the BMEiA,” said Randeria.
The “Standard” (Online) had previously reported on Saturday, citing the Egyptian news website “Madr Masr”, that Santawy and six other prisoners will be released by presidential decree.
Source: Nachrichten
