Gehad El-haddad addressed the court in his trial saying:
I have been held in pretrial detention for this case for nearly 5 years. Before my detention, I was in great health and had no disease. Now I’m suffering from recurrent episodes of fainting and sudden seizures. I also have knee cartridge and ligament tears which have immobilized me. All of which is a direct result of my imprisonment.
My medical reports were presented before this court on the 8th of November 2017. The court then used its legal authority to order the the prison authorities to provide me with the appropriate and necessary medical treatment and to improve my detention conditions so that is is compatible with my medical needs. The prosecution formally addressed the prison authority to execute the court’s orders on November 19th 2017. My condition remained the same apart from transferring me to the ill-equipped prison hospital for a few days without presenting any treatment or taking any measures to modify the conditions of my detention.
I am an architect engineer and may not understand the law very well, but I know that article 123 of the Egyptian Penal Code punishes anyone who refrains from executing court orders with three years of imprisonment!
I currently spend 24 hours a day lying on the ground of my solitary confinement cell unable to stand or move. And in protest of the prison administration’s refusal to execute the court orders to start my treatment, I entered a hunger strike on Thursday, May 10, 2018. During the strike I was physically assaulted by prison guards and officers to force me to break my strike. After a few days, my blood sugar level reached 28 mg/dL – the average blood glucose level is about 100 mg/dL – so the prison administration promised to perform the laparoscopic surgery the doctors had recommended for my knees before today’s session. I ended my strike accordingly but none of their promises were implemented.
I do not understand how Aqrab prison can defy the Egyptian prison laws and regulations and refrain from implementing the decisions of Egyptian courts!
I’m presenting before you today three demands:
First, the implementation of the court decision that ordered my treatment and transfer to an external hospital to perform a laparoscope surgery on my knees at my own expense to be able to move again.
Second, to investigate the incidents of torture that has occurred to me since my arrest until now, especially in the last two weeks when I was on hunger strike. I’m ready to provide the court with all the necessary details if the court permits.
Third, I’m asking my lawyer – whom I cannot communicate with him – to file a lawsuit against the persons or organization that refuses to carry out the court orders to treat me and modify the conditions of my detention to be compatible with my health condition