Why was Oqba Hashad not released?

The Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms denounces the ongoing arbitrary detention of the 26-year-old student Oqba Hashad, who remains isolated from the outside world despite a clear judicial decision for his release and the subsequent rejection of the prosecution’s appeal against this decision.

On 27   February, legal representatives from the ECRF formally lodged complaints with the Attorney General, the Cabinet, and the prosecutorial authorities of Shebin El Kom and Ashmoun. These complaints call for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding Oqba’s disappearance, following the Criminal Court’s ruling on 20 February that ordered his release.

Oqba Hashad has been arbitrarily detained for four years and nine months without trial. He was arrested on 20 May 2019, from his university residence in Sadat City, Monufia Governorate.

The ECRF hereby reiterates its call for Oqba Hashad’s immediate release and the implementation of the court’s release decision.