Egyptian activist stands trial after 19-month detention

Lawyers say the trial of an Egyptian activist and researcher who has been imprisoned for over a year and a half has begun

CAIRO -- The trial of an Egyptian activist and researcher who has been imprisoned for over a year and a half began Tuesday, his lawyers said. His case has drawn significant international attention, particularly in Italy, where he studied, and has become a high-profile example of the country's many people who are detained indefinitely without due process.

Patrick George Zaki, 29, a human rights advocate and student at the University of Bologna in Italy, worked at one of Egypt's most prominent human rights organizations.

Zaki appeared before a court in the Delta town of Mansoura to faces charges of spreading false news about Egypt domestically and abroad. The charges are based on a 2019 opinion article Zaki wrote on discrimination against Coptic Christians in Egypt, according to a statement by the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights. Zaki worked as a gender rights researcher there.

"The only reason for denying Zaki his freedom is his practice of his right to free speech in defense of his rights, and the rights of all Egyptians — and especially Christian Egyptians — to equality and full citizenship," read the statement issued Monday and signed by another nine human rights advocacy groups.