Washington, DC. – December 18, 2014 – /CNewswire/ — Coptic Solidarity announces the launch of an advocacy campaign seeking the immediate and unconditional release of Mohammed Hegazi. Mr. Hegazi — who goes by his adopted Christian name Bishoy Armeya Boulos — has been the subject of numerous spurious charges and sentences, prolonged detentions and threats to his and his family’s lives. He has been targeted for the mere attempt in 2007 to reflect his personal conversion by applying to formerly change the religious status from Muslim to Christian on his state-issued identification card.
A delayed appeal on the most recent of the sentences against Mr. Hegazi is scheduled for December 28, 2014. The case relates to Mr. Hegazi’s alleged filming without a permit in 2013 of violence perpetuated by Islamists against Copts in Upper Egypt. For this, he received a clearly disproportional five year sentence and has been subjected to irregular treatment during a period of custody that has now extended over one year. This detention has included a night in a death penalty cell, which triggered Mr. Hegazi to recently go on hunger strike. Even when a court recently ordered Mr. Hegazi’s release from detention awaiting the review of his appeal, he was immediately arrested and handed yet other vaguely worded accusations. In a country where, notwithstanding constitutional guarantees of equality, all state organs are biased in favor of, and openly encourage conversion toward, Islam, the revengeful nature of actions against Mr. Hegazi are impossible to disguise under the pretense of an “independent judiciary.”
The choice of one’s religion is a universal human right. The sentence against Mr. Hegazi – who has been bravely confronting the very Islamists that the current government has designated as terrorists – must be overturned, and all of the outstanding charges against him dismissed with final effect. Further, the sanctioning by state bodies of the outrageous treatment against Mr. Hegazi must be accounted for.
Finally, it is high time for the Egyptian government to ensure genuine justice, fairness and equality for all Egyptians – especially minorities who are victimized – and to uphold religious neutrality of all branches of government.
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Coptic Solidarity is non-profit organization dedicated to leading efforts to achieve equal citizenship for the Copts in Egypt and minorities in Middle East. For more information, contact Lindsay Vessey at 801-512-1713 or [email protected]
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