Cairo: The fate of dissidents who languish in Egypt’s prison has long been under supervision, but one veteran utilizes his political skills in an effort to be released.
Mohamed Al-Sadat, 66, nephew of former President Anwar al-Sadat, the first Arab leader who hit peace with Israel, has long been a fixture of Egyptian political scenes.
Now, he has become an unofficial negotiator who recommends the name of the figure imprisoned under the government of President Abdel Fattah al-Side without compromise.
“Dialogue with state institutions is not only one person’s work, there are many others in close contact …
but lately we have successfully used the language being heard,” he told AFP in his luxury.
Office on the outskirts of Cairo upscale.
“This has been effective in several cases (political prisoners) re-examined,” he said.
Forty-six prisoners were released in July, including prominent activists such as lawyers for Mahienour El-Massry.
But as many as 60,000 political prisoners serve time in Egyptian prisons, according to human rights defenders.
Side, former head of the army, became president in 2014 after leading the overthrow of the Islamic President Mohamed Morsi MOHAMED MORSI a year earlier.
He has since oversaw the crackdown of sweeping about differences of opinion.
What was imprisoned for criticizing the political status of quo had included academics, journalists, lawyers, activists, comedians, Islamists, presidential candidates and parliamentarians.
But Sadat is less concerned about the conditions that cause their arrest than by securing their release.
“There is a lot of work that takes place behind the scenes in this security agency where they conduct certain cases that we lift, both from the perspective of humanity or law,” he explained.
With his uncle’s portrait, a Nobel winner for the 1979 Egyptian-Israeli peace agreement, looked at him, Sadat was careful so as not to be too critical of the notes of human rights.
He insisted that the on-off pressure imposed by the government of US President Joe Biden has not influenced Egypt’s willingness to increase records that are often cursed about human rights.
“I do not agree that (reform efforts) all come from international pressure or new US administration, it’s not really right to say,” he was maintained.
The side of enjoying the close working relationship with former US President Donald Trump, who said the Egyptian leader did “a fantastic job in a very difficult situation”, referring to counter-terrorism and regional instability.
But Biden kicked his term this year by guaranteeing no longer “empty check” to the side.
However, with the important role of Cairo in medium to the ceasefire between the Palestinian Islamic Movement Hamas and Israel after the battle took place in May, the relationship with Washington was significantly warm.
Leading a “International Dialogue” delegation consisting of parliamentarians and media personality to Washington last week, Sadat continued the “offensive charm”, according to a meeting participant.
Dialogue includes meetings with official department officials, think tanks, policy makers and Egyptian activists.
“Sadat is not a boss.
He is there as an older teacher or statesman,” the source, who prefers to remain anonymous, to AFP.
“Maybe the side wants to get the DC invitation and this is the way,” added the participants.
Sadat, who had contemplated the presidential round in 2018 against the side, described himself as a “honest broker” and “Messenger” but not a decision maker.
“We are told by judicial officials that some inmates will be released after looking at their case files again.
We then told their family.
That is the process of shortness,” Sadat said.
For one former prisoner cannot leave Egypt because it is on a list without flies, the role of Sadat is very important in negotiating the case with the Interior Ministry.
Describing it as “truly sympathetic”, prisoners, who asked for anonymity, said: “He stepped on a very subtle line …
he interacted with security agents and civil society activists”.
“He’s a man really when he reaches human rights.”