Lawyer Haleem Henish, who represents detained photojournalist Esraa El-Taweel, told Daily News Egypt they will issue an appeal calling for her release on Saturday.
“During the court session to review renewing her detention, the judge asked her what she wants and she told him about her medical condition and that she wants to go home to complete her physiotherapy course,” said Henish.
El-Taweel, 23, disappeared on 1 June and was found in Al-Qanater Women’s prison two weeks later. She is suffering a bullet injury that hit her leg and spine while taking photographs during a protest on the 25 January Revolution’s second anniversary in 2012.
Images of Esraa sobbing during the court session sparked wide sympathetic reactions. An online petition was launched by local activists and rights groups to call for her release. Others took screenshots of her previous tweets expressing support for the Brotherhood sit-in in Rabaa Al-Adaweya.
She is charged with belonging to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group, publishing false news, and disturbing national security.
“The reports contain no evidences against her and the investigations held so far actually prove nothing of the charges,” Henish added.
He also said that during the session, the defence lawyers requested her release based on Article 34 of the Criminal Code, which states that it is prohibited to detain someone who is physically disabled.
On the day of her arrest, El-Taweel was having dinner in Maadi with Omar Ali and Sohaib Saad Al-Haddad. It was reported that Ali was taken to Al-Aqrab Prison and Al-Haddad is at Tora prison.
A total of 215 people were arrested in similar conditions, throuh forced disappearances, during August and September; 63 of them appeared in police stations and Central Security Forces camps, and prosecutions, or on videos published by the Ministry of Interior, according to the independent observatory the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms.
