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23. marts 2020 12:33
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Invitation to sign: Petition: Free political prisoners in the Middle East due to the outbreak of
Coronavirus pandemic
Dear MP,
We are writing to you
to seek your support and signature
for the below-petition which aims
to make sure political prisoners in the Middle East have the freedom and health care they need
in light of the spread of the Coronavirus, as jailers in some prisons have tested positive while
prisoners continue to live in miserable conditions in these prisons which put their lives at risk.
Your support to matter, the since the launch of this petition a week ago, Egypt decided to free
15 political prisoners.
You could sign by replying to this e-mail.
Thank you for your commitment and leadership.
Euro-Med Monitor
Sky Line International
Petition: Free political prisoners in the Middle East due to the outbreak of Corona-
virus pandemic
We, the undersigned members of parliaments,
call on our governments and the European
Union to pressure governments in the Middle East to release political prisoners whose lives are
at risk following the spread of the novel Coronavirus pandemic.
As of now, tens of thousands of political prisoners are held in the Middle East. This includes
hundreds of political prisoners in Israel, where a psychiatrist in touch with prisoners was tested
positive for Coronavirus as well as another jailer. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of political
prisoners are held in Egyptian jails in dire conditions. The Cairo-correspondent of the New York
Times noted that estimates suggest 19,000 Egyptians are infected with the virus, while the
Egyptian government speak of 110 infections only.
Following the announcement of the first death due to the novel Coronavirus in Bahrain, the
King issued a decree pardoning 901 prisoners. Iran, which is the third largest resource of the
virus in the world announced a plan to release 70,000 inmates. In Saudi Arabia, where 118
cases of Coronavirus have been confirmed, dozens of activists are still in prison with almost no
contact with their families, including women activist Loujain Alhathloul. In the UAE, Ahmad
Mansour, an award-winning human rights defender serves a 10-year sentence in jail.
The conditions of prisoners in the Middle East raise serious concerns. Leaked photos have
shown hundreds of them stockpiled on the top of each other in Egypt. While in countries such
as Saudi Arabia and the UAE, prisoners get no family visits and they rarely get to see their