Wife of freed Egyptian rights defender ‘cannot describe relief’, calls for all charges to be dropped

Karim Ennarah and Jess Kelly after he graduated from the School of Oriental and African Studies

Credit: Jess Kelly

The wife of a prominent Egyptian human rights activist who was arrested for meeting with European diplomats has said she “cannot describe the relief” after he was released from jail and has called for all the charges dropped.

Karim Ennarah was detained last month along with two colleagues shortly after his organisation, the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), apparently angered officials by holding a meeting with European diplomats in Cairo.

His British wife, Jess Kelly, has campaigned vociferously for Mr Ennarah and two other EIPR staff, Gasser Abdel-Razek and Mohammed Bashir, to be released, and the arrests have drawn widespread international condemnation.

“I cannot describe the relief,” Ms Kelly, who married Mr Ennarah in September, told the Telegraph.

“I spoke to Karim for the first time last night, he’s so happy to be out and overwhelmed by the support he has received. Now we’re keen to see that all the charges have been dropped and that his colleague Patrick Zaki  is also released,” she added.

Mr Ennarah had been due to move to the UK but instead spent his 37th birthday in prison.  

According to EIPR, a November 3 meeting to discuss human rights issues in Egypt with several European diplomats, including UK Deputy Ambassador Neerav Patel, was what led to the arrest.

Britain, the United States and the United Nations all condemned the arrest as a gross abuse of state power in a country that has become increasingly authoritarian under Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who took power after a military coup in 2013.

Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, expressed his concern last month with Sameh Shoukry, his Egyptian counterpart.

Antony Blinken, US President-elect Joe Biden’s foreign policy adviser, also warned Egypt that meeting with foreign diplomats was “not a crime” and that “nor is peacefully advocating for human rights.

Even Scarlett Johansson, the Hollywood actress, stepped forward to demand that the EIPR workers be released.

"I’m in awe of the bravery of these men who continue their work to defend human rights at such a great personal cost," she said.

"Their only crime has been to stand up for the dignity of Egyptians. EIPR has for years worked tirelessly and bravely on the front lines to protect and defend the most vulnerable, to reform the broken criminal justice system which wreaks havoc on innocent people’s lives, and to end the death penalty."