Hiba al-Haj Ali, the wife of Hussam Eddin Malas, who was sentenced this week in absentia to five years in prison by the Criminal Court in Cairo, has told Zaman al-Wasl that the judgement was based on false accusations of assaulting security forces during their demonstration in front of Syrian Embassy in Cairo in 2012.
Haj Ali said the truth was completely the opposite, saying it was the security forces who attacked them and detained them, adding that they were badly treated in prison.
She claimed that timing of the verdict was politicized, as Syrians, even the children and elderly in Egypt have been subject to illegal rights violations since 30 June 2013, including arbitrary detention.
She said the reason for the change was the return of military rule in the country and a resumption of relationships with Syrian intelligence.
Haj Ali said she believed that sentence aimed to put pressure on Syrians in Egypt to stop them from taking part in any activities to benefit the Syrian revolution.
Commenting on the recent letter of congratulations sent by the Syrian National Coalition to Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, she said that "the initiative is in the right direction, as long as it would result in improving the relationship between the opposition and the Egyptian regime, and improves Syrians’ situation in Egypt.
However, she said, "if the breaches against Syrians carry on, the opposition needs to re-evaluated their decision and not apply other countries dictations at the expense of Syrians’ best interests.”
The Criminal Court in Cairo on Tuesday sentenced 13 Syrians to five years imprisonment, on charges of gathering and threatening the public peace and forcefully resisting security forces during their demonstration in front of the Syrian Embassy in 2012.
Translated and edited by The Syrian Observer
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