Prison adminstration refused visit to Magdy Hussein by wife and lawyer

From Egypt and Beyond: The prison administration in Port Said refused a visit to Magdy Hussen, secretary-general of the “suspended” Labour Party, by his wife and laywer, al-Badeel reports. The administration says regulations don’t allow visits in the first 11 days, and refused to make an exception. Hussein was sentenced to two years in jail last week by a military court for visiting Gaza without a permission.

According to a report in al-Youm al-Sabi3, Hussein sent a letter to his wife stating that we doesn’t want to present a plea for pardon to the president, as his party was planning.

Magdy Hussein: Military Trial and Prison for Visiting Gaza in Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

Magdy Hussein

On Wednesday 11 February, Magdy Hussein, head of the Labour Party, was sentenced to 2 years in prison for visiting Gaza in solidarity with the Palestinian people. This is the background from the Egyptian Organization For Human Rights: “Hussein traveled to Gaza Strip to express Egyptian people’s solidarity with Palestinian case. The Egyptian authority stopped him as soon as he had arrived at Rafah Crossing after his return from Gaza Strip on Saturday 31/1/2009. He was charged with “sneaking to Gaza Strip illegally” . The investigations were conducted at the military prosecution at El Arish governorate which issued its decision on 3/2/2009 by submitting “Magdy Ahmed Hussein” to the military court in case NO.11 -2009- military Misdemeanor. The military court issued its decision according to the presidential decision No.298 -1995.

EOHR states that “submitting civilians to the military courts is a decision that violates the Egyptian Constitution and the international conventions concerning the right to fair trial which is one of the most important foundations for achieving justice and equal opportunity without prejudice the rights of other citizens. Article 68 of the Egyptian Constitution provided that “Litigation is a right guaranteed to all people and each citizen has the right to resort to the natural judge, the State guarantees the rapid disposition of cases ””