After learning that Canadian citizen Yasser Albaz has been detained in Cairo’s Tora prison, Amnesty International Canada Secretary General Alex Neve issued the following statement:
“Amnesty International is deeply concerned about the detention of Canadian citizen Yasser Albaz in Egypt and is calling on the Egyptian authorities to release him. We consider his detention to be arbitrary based on the information that we have received from his family and lawyer, which indicates that the charges against him are unfounded. Yasser Albaz’s detention and brief forced disappearance followed by pre-trial detention without charge and without any lawful, substantiated or well-founded allegations, follows an established pattern that Amnesty International has documented in Egypt. Since December 2017, at least 126 individuals have been detained in similar circumstances. Amnesty International calls on the Egyptian authorities to immediately release Mr. Albaz and reiterates the organization’s earlier calls to release the many Egyptians who have been subjected to arbitrary detention.
“Amnesty International urges the Canadian government to actively intervene on Mr. Albaz’s behalf, including pressing for his immediate release and insisting on regular, private consular visits.”
