On Monday, there was yet another in the endless series of hearings on the release or extension of the pre-trial detention for Patrick Zaki, the student of the University of Bologna who has been in prison in Egypt since February 7, 2020.
The diplomats who wished to attend (from Italy, France, Canada and the United States) were not allowed to enter, despite having permission from the court.
Patrick’s lawyer, Hoda Nasrallah, was pessimistic after a year and two months of detention extensions, first of 15 days and now of 45 days: “I do not believe the release will happen, given the continuous renewals,” he told Ansa. “He is in a very bad psychological state. There has been no opportunity to be close to him.”
On Tuesday, Zaki’s detention was extended for another 45 days.
The defense has announced that it wants to try a new strategy: to ask for the replacement of the judge panel. “The situation is truly urgent,” Amnesty International said on Monday.
“Let’s not relent,” was the message on Twitter from PD secretary Enrico Letta.
