1 June 2023
Today, the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression submitted a report to the Public Prosecutor that carried No. 31411 of 2023 to determine the reasons behind poet Jalal Al-Behairi’s escalation of his hunger strike and refraining from taking his heart and depression in which he started on March 5 to a full hunger strike and refraining from drinking water and liquids, AFTE also urged to provide him with the proper health care and his release under any guarantees.
On March 8, simultaneously with Al-Behairi’s partial hunger strike AFTE submitted a previous report to the Public Prosecutor calling for the same demands of the current report; however the report was ignored as no investigations were opened into the incident, and A;-Behairi was not provided with health care, which constitutes a serious threat to his life.
Al-Behairi initiated his hunger strike to coincide with the start of his sixth year in prison without committing any crime as the reason for his arrest was writing a song for singer Ramy Essam called “Balaha” which criticizes the current political system.
Al-Behairy was arrested on 3 March 2018 against accusations in two lawsuits. He was released from the first one No. 480 of 2018, with precautionary measures on 17 April 2019, and referred to a military court for the second lawsuit and sentenced to three years in prison, which ended on 31 July 2021. However, the Ministry of Interior refrained from implementing the procedures for El Behairy’s release, and he remained illegally detained. The Supreme State Security Prosecution interrogated El Behairy in a new lawsuit, no. 2000 of 2021, and he remains in pretrial detention on similar accusations.
2 May 2023 “Behind prison bars since March 2018; Criminal Court renews detention of poet Jalal Al-Behairi, author of “Balaha” song for 45 days pending his third lawsuit”
On May 2, the Criminal Court (Third Circuit) decided to renew the detention of poet Jalal Al-Behairi for 45 days pending his third lawsuit, lawsuit No. 2000 of 2021. The Court renewed Al-Behairi’s detention despite his reluctance to attend the hearing because his detention was renewed before the same cicuit before several times despite the lack of legal basis.
The security forces arrested Al-Behairi in March 2018, after the Balaha song went viral. He was involved in the first lawsuit against accusations of joining a terrorist group, spreading false news, and insulting the President of the Republic. He was released in the following year.
The second lawsuit carried No. 4 of 2018, in which a military prosecution interrogated him regarding his poetry book entitled “The Earth’s Best Women”, later he was sentenced to three years in prison and a fine of 10,000 EGP, the Court later repealed the fine while maintaining the prison sentence.
After serving his sentence; the Ministry of Interior refused to release him, but rather detained him for more than a month, until he was involved in the current lawsuit against accusations of joining a terrorist group with knowledge of its purposes and spreading and broadcasting false news and statements that would harm public security.
21 March 2023 “Despite going on hunger and medicine strike since March 5, The detention of poet Jalal Al-Behairi was renewed for 45 days”
On the hearing of March 21st, the Criminal Court (First Circuit) decided to renew the detention of poet Jalal Al-Behairi for 45 days pending investigations of case No. 2000 of 2021 which is Al-Behairi’s third time to be convicted in a lawsuit as a prisoner of conscience his arrest in 2018.
Al-Behairi went on an ongoing hunger strike since March 5; he also stopped taking his heart and depression medications, AFTE demanded the public prosecutor to start a speedy investigation to determine the reasons for his strike, to quickly transfer him to the prison hospital to receive appropriate health care after he stopped the necessary medications for his health condition and for his release; as Al-Behairi is starting his sixth in prison for expressing his political opinions.
Al-Behairi is convicted in this lawsuit after he was convicted in two others; in the first one, he got released and served a 3-year prison sentence in the second. He faces charges of joining a terrorist group with knowledge of its purposes and spreading and broadcasting false news and statements that would harm public security.
8 March 2023 “AFTE submits a report to the attorney general regarding poet Jalal Al-Behairi’s hunger strike and demands his release”
Today, the Association for Freedom of Thoughts and Expression filed a report to the attorney general’s office that carried No. 15196 of 2023, on behalf of poet Jalal Al-Behairi to start an investigation regarding his hunger strike; he also stopped taking his heart and depression medications since March 5, AFTE also demanded his receipt of the required health care at the prison hospital and to release him after five years in detention without committing a crime.
In March 2018, the Cairo Airport’s security forces arrested Al-Behairi, the author of “Balaha” song; he was listed in two lawsuits, the first of which is lawsuit No. 480 of 2018, known in the media as “Balaha Song Case” against accusations of joining a terrorist group, spreading false news, and insulting the President of the Republic; later on April 2019, he was released under precautionary measures.
The Military Prosecution interrogated him against the second lawsuit, No. 4 of 2018, regarding his poetry book entitled “The Earth’s Best Women”, the Military Prosecution later charged him with spreading false news and rumors about the Egyptian Armed Forces and insulting the Egyptian Army via publishing a book includes insults to the Egyptian Army. Later on, a Military Court sentenced Al-Behairi to three years in prison and a fine of 10,000 EGP, after appealing the sentence; the Court later repealed the fine while maintaining the prison sentence.
Al-Behairi finished his prison term on July 31, 2021, however; the Ministry of Interior refused to release him, and Al-Behairi remained in detention at a police station in his place of residence. On September 5 of the same year, Al-Behairi appeared before the Supreme State Security Prosecution as a defendant in a new lawsuit that holds No. 2000 of 2021. Once again, he faces accusations of joining a terrorist group with knowledge of its purposes and spreading and broadcasting false news and statements that would harm public security.
