Journalist Sabry Anwar was not forcibly disappearance but was arrested by an order from the National Security Apparatus, the Ministry of Interior said Saturday.
This came as a response to the Press Syndicate’s official request, which was submitted to the prosecutor-general on 28 February, demanding information regarding the whereabouts of the journalist. Anwar’s family and the syndicate could not provide any information about the location of his detention.
The ministry clarified, in its response, that Anwar was arrested by the National Security Apparatus. His imprisonment and its renewal were all decided by the apparatus; this issue is not related to the ministry.
Anwar, who works for independent newspaper El-Badil, was arrested from his home in Damietta in late February. In detention, he was allegedly subjected to electric shock torture on four separate occasions. Security officers pressured him to confess to crimes he did not commit, according to his wife Heba Al-Khedry.
His wife was able to meet with him briefly at a nearby police station, four days after his arrest, where he told her about his torture.
International watchdog the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) recently demanded that Egyptian authorities either charge or release the journalist, and order a thorough, independent investigation into his claims of torture.
Since the ouster of former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi mid-2013, journalists have faced threats while reporting in the field, particularly while covering protests.
