Jailed or Hidden? Egyptian Police Stands Still as Thugs Attack Activist's Family Near Prison Gate

During an over-night sit-in near Tora prison demanding a letter from their jailed son, three family members of an Egyptian political activist reported being attacked by thugs who beat them up, dragged them around, and stole their possessions, all while the Egyptian police quietly watched.

Sister of well-known political activist and blogger Alaa Abd El-Fattah took to social media networks posting photos that show her bruised body; after a number of women attacked her and her 64-year old mother and younger sister as they spent the night near Tora prison.

Abd El-Fattah's family members who have been famous for their activism since the Arab Spring protests in 2011 have been making daily visits to the Tora prison for several weeks, in demand of a letter from Alaa, after authorities banned all other sorts of communication with him last March.

Alaa was arrested several times prior to the Arab Spring protests in 2011. Following President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi's military coup in 2013, he was sentenced to five years in prison for "inciting hate against the police."

In March 2019, Alaa was released with the condition of spending every night at a police station for another five years. On a September 2019 morning, Alaa wasn't allowed to leave the police station and has since been in jail.

Using the hashtag #FreeAlaa, social media activists have expressed their support to Abd El-Fattah's family and condemned the police's complicity during the over-night attack.