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DIRCO given ultimatum on Bassiouni

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The Department of International Relations (DIRCO) has been given a deadline until the end of business on Wednesday to respond to the Bassiouni family on questions around the imprisonment of  Johannesburg-based scholar Shaykh Abdus Salaam Bassiouni in Cairo.

Shaykh Bassiouni is an Egyptian-South African citizen who has been detained without trial since his arrival in Cairo in December last year. The family claims the South African government has not been helpful in negotiating for his release.

Speaking to Drivetime on Wednesday, his son Bilal Bassioni said the Legal Resource Centre has taken up the case to compel DIRCO to respond to the family’s concerns.

“If there is no response in time, my family will discuss the steps going forward.”

Asked if the family would approach the South African courts, Bilal said: “We don’t want to jump to conclusions. We believe in the efficiency of this government and trust they will respond accordingly. We don’t want to believe that we should launch litigation against the government.”

Last week, DIRCO said negotiations with the Egyptian government had proved challenging, as Shaykh Bassiouni has dual citizenship. Egyptian authorities have said they are within their rights to detain the cleric, as he is an Egyptian born national. Shaykh Bassiouni is accused of being a Muslim Brotherhood supporter, a banned organisation in Egypt.

Shaykh Bassiouni is being held in the notorious Tora prison, where the country’s worst criminals are reported to be detained. Bilal said his father’s health has taken a major knock since his imprisonment. The family in Egypt sees him once a week and have noticed a rapid deterioration in his health since his arrest in December.

“He is a man of high spirits but we can see the difficulty he is in…the strain is visible on his face. When my mother and brother see him, he cannot walk…so it’s hard for them.”

During the first week of his detention, the family were told Shaykh Bassiouni apparently slipped while making wudhu and has since suffered a severe back injury. No x-rays were taken and has been merely given is painkillers by prison officials. With his diabetes, there has been little improvement in his health condition.

“We are not sure the extent of my father’s illness. Without a thorough medical examination, how are we to determine this? This is basic human right!”

“The medication really depends on the mood of the prison guard and this causes a fluctuation in his insulin and blood levels. We don’t even know if his eating correctly.”

Bilal said their legal team had become aware of similar situations were ill prisoners were not given their medication on time. In some cases, the prisoners had died in jail.

“This is why our cry to authorities is that there is a constitutional and moral obligation on the South African government to immediately intervene. There shouldn’t be any discussion on this matter. Please get my father out!” he urged. VOC


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