Cagliari, 21 dicembre 2020 - Il Rettore Maria Del Zompo e tutte le componenti accademiche dell'Università di Cagliari sostengono e condividono l'appello di Ferruccio Resta, presidente della CRUI, inviato al presidente Abdel Fattah al-Sisi per la scarcerazione di Patrick George Zaki, lo studente dell'Università di Bologna che da febbraio è imprigionato nelle carceri egiziane.

La CRUI fa sua l'apprensione già manifestata dalla rete Scholars at Risk e Amnesty International sulle condizioni di salute di Zaki ed esprime preoccupazione "per la decisione adottata dal tribunale egiziano il 7 dicembre 2020 di prolungare la custodia cautelare di altri 45 giorni". Lo studente soffre di gravi disturbi di salute, che si sarebbero aggravati in questi mesi di detenzione, per questo si chiede che venga scarcerato e possa attendere il processo a casa con la sua famiglia.

Anche Scholars at Risk Italia ha inviato un appello alle autorità egiziane e alla comunità internazionale per la scarcerazione di Patrick Zaki.

To: His Excellency Abdel Fattah al-Sisi

President, Arab Republic of Egypt

Date: 21st December 2020

Subject: Petition in support of Mr. Patrick George Zaki

Your Excellency,

I am writing on behalf of the Conference of Italian University Rectors (CRUI), to express grave concern for Patrick George Zaki, a postgraduate student at the University of Bologna who was arrested on February 7, 2020, and afterwards allegedly subjected to torture, in apparent retaliation for his activity as a researcher.

Mr. Zaki is a twenty-eight year old Egyptian student who came to Italy in August 2019, to pursue a master’s degree on Gender Studies at the University of Bologna. Moreover, he is a researcher for the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), an organization based in Cairo committed to defending Human Rights. CRUI is gravely concerned about the decision taken by the Egyptian Court on the 7th December 2020 to extend the pre-trial detention for another 45 days, and deeply feels its responsibility towards students who pursue their research projects with enthusiasm and commitment.

We understand from Scholars at Risk and Amnesty International that the health situation of Mr. Zaki is seriously compromised by the harsh conditions in which he is currently detained while awaiting for trial. Mr. Zaki suffers from asthma, and he is at particular risk if exposed to COVID-19 in the Tora Prison. In a December 12, 2020, letter to his family, Mr. Zaki expressed that he has serious backpain and his mental health is deteriorating. We would therefore like to appeal to your clemency on this serious matter, and more broadly to the humanitarian concern that we all share in this health-emergency situation. CRUI respectfully urge you to grant Mr. Zaki the permission to wait for his trial at home with his family, where he could also recover from the physical suffering after many months of detention. We appreciate your attention to this important matter and we trust your understanding and sympathy for the dispassionate motives that guide us all.

Sincerely,

Prof. Ferruccio Resta