Father locked up in Egypt – no charges

BILAAL and Al-Zahra Bassiouni fear they may never see their father again.

Detained in an Egyptian prison for more than four months, Sheikh Abdel Bassiouni has yet to be charged with any crime.

And, although he has been a South African citizen and resident for more than 20 years, the government has said there is nothing it can do to help him.

The prominent local scholar was detained in December last year after he flew into Egypt for Al-Zahra’s engagement celebrations.

He and Bilaal were taken in for questioning over whether they had any connection to the banned Islamic organisation, the Muslim Brotherhood.

The first democratically elected political party in Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood, and its political branch were overthrown and banned by the interim Egyptian government in 2013 and declared a terrorist group after the bombing of a security directorate building.

Bilaal said he and his father were interrogated for hours despite having no affiliation with the organisation.

They were subjected to invasive searches and intimidation, he said. The younger Bassiouni was released the next day, but his father remains in prison, with limited – and occasionally totally restricted – access to legal representation or his relatives.

Family attorney Farhana Ismail said no charges had been levelled against the sheikh, and no charge sheet had been provided by Egyptian police or prosecutors. And, according to relatives who have visited the imprisoned Bassiouni, he is perpetually taken to the local prosecution offices, where his detention is extended by two weeks at a time to avoid actively charging him.

Ismail said the Department of International Relations and Co-operation agreed to meet the legal representatives in December last year, agreeing to bring in the Egyptian ambassador to address the issue.

However, at the meeting on January 22, Ismail was told that they could not interfere with the legal process of another country.

Dual citizenship

Bassiouni holds dual South African and Egyptian citizenship.

“Further to this, the South African embassy in Cairo has still not gained access to the sheikh and neither have the embassy or International Relations and Co-operation contacted our offices or the family to inquire as to the status of the matter, or provided any feedback on their efforts, if any.

International Relations had remained silent on the matter,” said Ismail.

The family’s two letters to the Presidency also went unanswered.

Department spokesman Clayson Monyela confirmed that no charge sheet or proof of any charges had been handed over.

“They arrested him as an Egyptian citizen. Our hands are tied.”

The department was still doing its utmost for the sheikh, he said.