Cairo Criminal Court decided on Wednesday, the 29^th of November 2023, to renew the detention of Sameh Zakareya (a worker in the Ambulance Authority) for another 45 days. And so, Sameh completes 15 months away from his family.

On this occasion, we ask you to remember other brothers and colleagues who are still behind bars waiting for trials that are delayed for years and sometimes never held. During these years, lives of prisoners are lost; their health deteriorates; and their families are devastated without any hope for near reunion. The situation becomes even more painful when the prisoner is in a serious health condition and when his case is not the subject of media and political coverage and attention. It seems as if these prisoners are forgotten; and no one supports their families or demands their release.

We tell the story of Sameh because he is one of those who are forgotten. He is a simple worker in the Ambulance facility. Yet, he is a diligent one and that is why he was chosen in the focal teams of the Amubulance Authority. These teams are assigned the task of attending international conferences and safeguarding senior officials in the State. Of course, no one is chosen in these teams unless a careful security check is conducted to make sure that he has no illegal activities or dissident activities against the ruling regime.

Sameh was not a renowned politician or activist. He is an Egyptian man who works hard to support his family that fully depends on him. His family consists of his wife, three children (oldest is eight and youngest is two), and his 80 years old mother.

His family was shocked when he was arrested from home on the 22^nd of August of 2022. He disappeared and remained incommunicado for four months. He appeared for the first time on the 21^st of December 2022 before the Public Prosecution which decided to put him on remand detention pending investigations in case no. 2412 for 2022, State Security. He was charged with joining and funding a banned organization. Since that date, his remand detention is being renewed without being referred to trial. His health condition, which was already complicated, worsened in prison.

Sameh’s health condition reached a dangerous state that required urgent care. He has had a rare disease since childhood that requires ongoing medical care, which is called Mastoiditis (infection of the mastoid bone of the skull). If not controlled, this disease may lead to facial paralysis. Because of this disease, the tympanic membrane (eardrum) was completely torn.

Before he was imprisoned, he had three operations to curette the ear bones and perform tympanoplasty. There was discharge from the left ear and a ventilation tube was implanted to prevent infection. However, the prison’s doctor affirmed that the tube was dislocated causing a tear in the left eardrum.

Sameh used to visit an otolaryngologist on a monthly basis before imprisonment. However, this stopped in prison and the disease reappeared and even worsened leading to loss of hearing in his right ear and threatening to complete loss of the sense of hearing.

Before he was imprisoned, his balance was disturbed which made him fall and endure partial rupture in the cartilage of the knee. Such partial rupture developed into full rupture because of the conditions of his imprisonment.

We remind you that his family greatly suffers because of his imprisonment and appeals to decision makers to study his case and take the circumstances of his family into consideration as he is the sole breadwinner of the family and as his health requires immediate intervention before it develops into an uncontrollable condition. Moreover, his three kids (Jana, Hana and Omar) dream of his return and desperately wait for their reunion with him. It is unjust to punish them by his absence for no guilt.