She insulted Egypt’s President Al-Sisi as a “murderer” at a meeting in Berlin, and now her father is being arrested in Cairo. The doctor and activist Fagr Eladly suspects a retaliatory action.
A German-Egyptian living in Wiesbaden, who became known for her harsh criticism of Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, is fighting for her father’s release in Cairo. “It’s just shocking and scandalous,” said Fagr Eladly of the German Press Agency about the situation of her father Alaa (59). He also lives in Germany and was recently arrested at Cairo Airport.
“It’s a purely political case. My father is in jail for nothing, is being deprived of his freedom for nothing,” says Eladly. He is the latest example of alleged clan imprisonment in the North African country.
The case of Alaa Eladly
Alaa Eladly is the only member of the Wiesbaden family who does not have German citizenship in addition to Egyptian citizenship. He was arrested in Cairo a week ago when he entered the country to visit a family, and the family has not had direct contact with him since then.
He is accused of “spreading false news” and membership in a banned association. Critics of the government are repeatedly imprisoned in Egypt under such allegations, which human rights activists describe as fabricated and politically motivated.
Fagr Eladly, who now works as an assistant doctor, caused a stir in 2015 when she called al-Sisi a “murderer” at a press conference with Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin. Now the family suspects retaliation behind the arrest.
She never believed that the action at the time could harm anyone but herself, Eladly said. Still, she said, “I don’t regret it.” She is now working with her mother and brother to get her father released.
Tough crackdown on regime critics
Al-Sisi came to power in Egypt in a coup in 2013 as commander-in-chief of the army. Since then, critics have been persecuted with all severity. According to human rights activists, an estimated 60,000 members of the opposition were imprisoned, some without trial. The government justifies the action against it with the fight against terrorists.
Relatives of critics living abroad have also been repeatedly arrested, most recently on Tuesday the father of journalist Ahmed Gamal Siada, who lives in Belgium.
Raids and arrests also hit relatives of human rights activist Mohammed Sultan, who lives in the United States, and of former MP Ahmed Tantawi, who lived in Lebanon for a long time and who wants to run in Egypt’s 2024 presidential election.
The government is using “families as playing cards” in an attempt to silence dissenters abroad, the organization Human Rights Watch said two years ago. There are also reports that Egypt, along with China and Turkey, has been particularly successful in silencing critics in other countries as well.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
