The International Union of Film Producers at Risk is calling for the “immediate and unconditional” release of Egyptian director and screenwriter Omar Salah Marei, who is being held in a Cairo prison on trumped-up charges of “deliberately spreading false news,” according to a post on its social media accounts.
Omar Salah Marei, 35, known in the Egyptian film industry for several short stories that mix humor and sharp social and political commentary, was arrested in his Cairo apartment on the night of May 11, where plainclothes security agents “broke down the door, seized four laptops, two phones, cash and scripts for future projects, and took Omar to an undisclosed location without a warrant,” according to ICFR.
“For six days, authorities did not acknowledge that he was in custody, and he had no contact with his family or lawyer,” ICFR said in a statement.
Salah Marei then reappeared before Egypt’s Supreme National Security Prosecutor’s Office on May 16, in what the ICFR described as “the most serious prosecutorial proceeding in the country.” His lawyer, renowned human rights lawyer Khalid Ali, confirmed to ICFR that Salah Malay is currently in pre-trial detention for 15 days by the Egyptian authorities, pending an investigation. The charge is “deliberately spreading false news based on posts on social media accounts,” according to ICFR.
The next judicial hearing, to be held on May 25, will decide whether Omar Salah Murray’s pre-trial incarceration will be extended. Egyptian authorities were not immediately available for comment.
In a statement, ICFR stressed that Salah Malay has a medical condition, which adds to the urgency of the case.
“Omar has a thyroid disease and must not interrupt his daily medication. He had undergone wrist surgery (nine screws, two metal plates) three months prior to his arrest and was still undergoing active recovery and physical therapy at the time of his transport,” the report said. “There is no reason to believe that he has received any medical care during the nine days he is currently in custody. The Foundation for Law and Democracy Support has stated that denying him access to drug treatment and care during his disappearance may already constitute abuse under international law,” the statement added.
“Mr. Omar is not a dissident in the traditional political sense,” the statement continued. “He’s a filmmaker who came to film from engineering school of his own volition, and he uses comedy as a vehicle for social commentary.”
ICFR, founded by the Amsterdam International Documentary Film Festival, Rotterdam International Film Festival and the European Film Academy, with the aim of defending and acting in solidarity with filmmakers at serious and acute risk, has vowed to continue to closely follow this case and report on further developments.
