The Attorney General in Egypt on Sunday February 16 denied charges of torture against Egyptian human rights activist Patrick Zaky, who has been detained for more than a month.
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The 28-year-old researcher at the University of Bologna in Italy was arrested at Cairo airport on January 7 when he returned home to visit his family.
Lawyers for Patrick Zaky said he was beaten and electrocuted by the security forces, according to a statement released on January 8 by the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), an NGO the researcher works for.
Patrick Zaky " did not report having suffered any prejudice or abuse during his arrest or detention, " the attorney general said in a statement. " No injuries " were found on his body.
Appearance next week
An arrest warrant had been issued against Mr. Zaky in September 2019 while he was in Italy. He faces charges including " spreading false news ", " inciting topple the state " and " promoting terrorist acts ", according to judicial and security sources.
Authorities on Saturday decided to keep him in detention until he appears before the prosecutor next week, an ISPR statement calling for his immediate release said the same day.
On Sunday, the Egyptian Human Rights Commission, a local NGO, called for " an independent investigation into the torture " reported by the EIPR.
Since the coming to power of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi in 2014, an unprecedented wave of repression has struck Egyptian journalists, opponents and activists.