Prison authorities barred Nora El Sayed from visiting her husband, filmmaker and screenwriter Omar Salah Marei, at 10th of Ramadan Prison on Sunday, she told Al Manassa. Rehabilitation Sector 6 denied the visit after Marei was allegedly assaulted by another detainee inside their cell, according to a message El Sayed said she received.
El Sayed said the family learned of the alleged assault on Saturday through the relatives of another detainee held with Marei. She went to the prison the following day and requested an exceptional visit to check on him, but the request was denied. Her last visit with him was on June 27, she told Al Manassa.
She said prison staff verbally reassured her about his condition, telling her, “He’s fine. Don’t worry. The issue has been resolved.” They also said the alleged attacker had been transferred out of the cell and moved away from the floor where Marei is being held. She is now waiting for her next scheduled visit on July 27 to check on his condition herself.
Security officers in civilian clothes arrested Marei on May 11. After being subjected to an enforced disappearance for about five days, Marei appeared before the Supreme State Security Prosecution, which ordered him held in pretrial detention for 15 days pending an investigation into charges of “deliberately publishing false news inside the country” in connection with several social media posts. His pretrial detention has been renewed repeatedly ever since.
Last Saturday, the Defense and Solidarity Committee for Marei announced that he had been assaulted “by a fellow detainee in his cell who holds extremist and hostile views toward art and artists.” In a statement, the committee called on prison authorities to intervene immediately to ensure Marei’s safety and protect him from any further attacks. It also held the prison administration fully responsible for his physical and psychological well-being, and for any harm he might suffer while in custody.
The committee also renewed its call to end what it described as the denial of necessary medical care, saying Marei has yet to receive treatment for a swollen and painful hand injury despite undergoing medical imaging. It said he has also not been examined by specialists in internal medicine, endocrinology, or psychiatry despite his chronic thyroid condition and repeated requests from his legal defense team.
Following his arrest, human rights organizations warned that his health could deteriorate, saying he has a thyroid disorder that requires daily medication, as well as complications from recent wrist surgery. They called for him to receive the necessary treatment and medical care.
According to rights organization ARTICLE 19, Marei’s case comes amid a wider crackdown on freedom of expression and mounting restrictions on creative work, with authorities using broad, formulaic charges for more than a decade to target opinion writers, journalists, artists, and other creators, often resulting in years of imprisonment through prolonged pretrial detention or trials that fall short of fair trial standards.
