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The departure of the young Egyptian director and photographer Shadi Habash in his prison was a devastating blow to artistic freedom, according to the American organization “Ben America” that defends the rights of expression and the arts.
Habash died in his custody at Tora prison in southern Cairo on Friday night as a result of a health crisis, according to his lawyer Ahmed Al-Khawaja, who told AFP from Cairo: “Shadi He was sick a few days ago and he entered the hospital and his mother found out about this, but he returned to his cell and died inside him. ”
Last October, Habash wrote a letter from his prison to the outside world asking for support. Many Twitter users posted the text of the message after his death. Habash wrote: “The prison cannot die, but the unit dies … I need your support for Mamouche … In the last two years I have tried to resist (…) but you cannot save.” Shadi Habash, 24, was arrested by Egyptian authorities in March 2018, a month after he released a video song for Egyptian singer Ramy Essam who currently resides abroad, titled “Balha”, which mocks the political situation in Egypt. The State Security Prosecutor’s Office accused Habash of accusations of “spreading false news and joining a group established in violation of the law.” The words of the song say: “Oh, sweet, balha, oh, suppressed … I have finished your four years.” “The Arab Human Rights Information Network” wrote on “Twitter” that Shadi died “as a result of negligence and lack of justice after spending more than two years in custody on account of a song.” According to Al-Khawaja, the Habash family has been unable to contact him due to the suspension of visits to the prison since March 10 due to precautionary measures to deal with the outbreak of the new Corona virus.
He said: “There was a session in his case that was also canceled” due to the procedures. Essam was known as “the singer of the revolution” and his name appeared in Tahrir Square during the 2011 Egyptian Revolution that overthrew the late President Hosni Mubarak. “Shadi Habash is Sisi’s responsibility personally … only because he participated in a song that criticized him and because no judge dares to exonerate those who criticize the President of the Republic,” wrote Egyptian human rights lawyer Bahi El Din. Hassan on Twitter.
“With Habash’s death, (Sisi) sent a disturbing signal to the rest of the world … anyone who disagrees with his point of view can face death,” said Julie Trebolault, director of the Artists at Risk program for the organization. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights launched an appeal last month to protect prisoners and release the most vulnerable detainees. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights called on Michel Bachelet to protect prisoners in overcrowded cells or closed facilities from the spread of the epidemic, freeing the most vulnerable detainees.
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