Jailed Egyptian activist ‘planned to join wife in UK’ to escape regime

AN EGYPTIAN human rights campaigner detained on terrorism charges last week was planning to move to the UK to escape the oppressive regime, his British wife disclosed.

Karim Ennarah, 37, who works for the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, was arrested while on holiday in the Sinai resort town of Dahab, days before his wife, Jessica Kelly, was due to fly out from London to join him.

“He easily could have come to Europe before,” Ms Kelly told The Daily Telegraph. “People really don’t appreciate how hostile it is in Egypt for anyone working in journalism or human rights or for anyone who has a different opinion to the regime.”

Mr Ennarah, who completed a master’s degree at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London in 2016, was detained on Wednesday, two days after his home in Cairo was raided.

Two other colleagues from the EIPR were also arrested, including Gasser Abdel-razek, the group’s executive director. They are behind bars at Cairo’s Torah prison where they can be held on remand for up to two years.

Security forces have recently intensified a crackdown on human rights groups which began when former army chief Abdel Fattah el-sisi took power in a 2013 military coup.

Despite knowing he could be jailed, he was reluctant to leave Egypt, Ms Kelly said. “He felt like if he’s not there, then who’s going to be there? If everybody leaves, it’s opening the door to the regime’s oppression,” she said.

“This is a state security case where no documents or evidence are ever given and there’s no trial. You can think of it more as kidnap by the state.”

Yesterday Mr Abdel-razek told his lawyers he was being held alone in a cell without a mattress.

EIPR wrote in a statement. “We saw Gasser just now taken out of the prosecution office in a police van. The only thing he shouted from the window was, ‘Mariam! Say hello to the boys. I love you!’” His wife was reportedly not allowed to speak to him.

Egypt is facing international pressure to release the three detainees.

Jessica Kelly, who recently married Karim Ennarah, at her home in London. She called for the release of her husband who she said was ‘kidnapped by the state’ and thrown in prison

Jessica Kelly and Karim Ennarah were married in Cairo in September and planned to live together in the UK