Over 90 initiatives and activists working towards detainee support, signed a statement calling for the immediate release of youngster Mahmoud Mohamed, the Freedom for the Brave initiative announced on Thursday.
Security forces arrested the 18-year-old on the third anniversary of the 25 January Revolution, as he passed through a checkpoint.
According to the statement, Mohamed was wearing a t-shirt that read, “A national with no torture,” and a scarf bearing the words “25 January”. His belongings were taken as “evidence” and he was charged with threatening national security.
Mohamed has been detained for ten months and is now a year behind in his academic studies.
The statement added that during the first 60 days behind bars, Mohamed’s detention was continuously renewed without his presence in court.
On 16 October, Mohamed’s family released a statement demanding that the Prosecutor General re-open Mohamed’s file and immediately release their child.
“Mahmoud did not take part in any violence and does not deserve to be detained and have his future ruined. His young age should be taken into consideration and does not coincide with this amount of oppression,” the statement read. “We assure that all of Mahmoud’s charges are false and have no foundation.”
Since the military ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi, security forces have arrested at least 16,000 people, according to Ministry of Interior numbers.
According to the online database, WikiThawra, at least 41,000 people have been detained over the past year. Thousands of them are students.
