After nearly three months of detention in solitary confinement, a Cairo court decided Wednesday to postpone to September an appeal filed by the detainee and prominent rights lawyer Malek Adly against the illegal conditions of his detention.
Arrested in May on charges of inciting protests and spreading false news against the backdrop of the controversial Red Sea islands case, Adly has since been detained in a solitary cell, unfurnished and unventilated. According to his wife Asmaa Aly, Adly has been repeatedly denied to go out of the cell, which is against prison regulations.
Prison regulations also state that solitary confinement is a punitive measure in case of misbehaviour and should not exceed 15 days.
Moreover, amendments introduced to the prison law under President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s rule allow furniture to be introduced in prison cells in exchange for a fee paid by the prisoner.
Adly’s wife and defence team filed a lawsuit against Tor prison authorities and the minister of interior, but on Wednesday, the Administrative Court set the upcoming session for 4 September for the opinion of judges of the State Lawsuits Authority.
Adly is likely to remain in solitary confinement until then, despite his deteriorating health.
