Family of Palestinian woman jailed with her child in Egypt call for her release

The family of a Palestinian woman and child have appealed to the Egyptian authorities to release her immediately in a letter published by the Egyptian Network for Human Rights (ENHR), the Arabic news site Arabi21 reported on Sunday.

Fidaa Abdel Hamid Anas Shabir, 35, and her child, born in prison, are currently detained at the 10th Ramadan Women’s prison located in northeastern Egypt.

She had been living in north Sinai since 2014, and was held in pretrial detention since 2021, on charges of joining Islamic State in Sinai.

She has denied the charges but remains imprisoned, away from her other children.

According to ENHR, Shabir’s family including four children, are in Gaza with the eldest being 14.  The incessant Israeli bombing on the Strip since October has put them at risk and they are now facing harsh conditions.

Her family have urged authorities to release her from prison to allow her to reunite her with her family, noting that she gave birth to her daughter in prison after being arrested while she was five months pregnant.

ENHR said that the suffering of her children has worsened following the death of their father, who was killed by Egyptian authorities after being accused of membership of Islamic State.

"Fidaa is facing charges of joining a terrorist group that was established in violation of the law, but all indications point to the fact that her only crime is being the wife of a Palestinian accused of belonging to a terrorist organisation", ENHR said.

The rights group has highlighted that keeping Shabir’s baby in prison also exposes them to risks and could impact their health.

In a statement, ENHR criticised Shabir’s long pre-trial detention period, saying that it exceeds the maximum period stated according to Article 143 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which is two years.

"Her continued detention without a final ruling is a violation of international legal standards that prohibit prolonged detention without a fair trial," they said, renewing their calls for Egyptian authorities to re-assess her case and the law.