Letter Regarding Ongoing Detention of Dr Ahmed Al Tohamy

The BRISMES Committee on Academic Freedom has written to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi regarding the ongoing detention of Dr Ahmed Tohamy, Assistant Professor of Political Sciences in the Faculty of Economic and Political Sciences, Alexandria University.

We are deeply concerned about the well-being of Dr Al Tohamy, who has been on hunger strike since the Egyptian authorities refused to respond to his demand to open an investigation into the conditions of his imprisonment, including lack of medical care and prohibition from daily exercise.

According to information we have received from Dr Al Tohamy’s family, the authorities have not provided him with sufficient health care for chronic and new conditions, including high blood pressure and a spinal disc condition, among others. The authorities have held him incommunicado several times, sometimes for months, during which the family knew nothing about his health or whereabouts. In addition to denying him access to timely health care, including medical examinations, prison authorities have complete discretion over provision of his vital medications and medical devices. Dr Al Tohamy has reported being denied medications entirely or given pills inconsistently.

We call upon President al-Sisi to intervene in these matters, to drop all charges against Dr Al Tohamy and release him from detention, while in the meantime ensuring that he receives the medical treatment he needs.