Human rights activists ask Poroshenko to help the Transcarpathian who may die in Egypt’s prison

Representatives of human rights organizations asked the President Petro Poroshenko to ask to release the Ukrainian Eduard Chikosh, who has been kept in Egypt’s prison for seven years under fraudulent allegations, – the Center for Human Rights reported.

Poroshenko will have the opportunity to meet with the Egyptian president during his visit to the United States. During the 73rd session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, he will have a series of meetings with world leaders.

This is stated in the appeal to the head of the state, signed, in particular, by the Center for Human Rights Information.

As the signatories point out, Eduard Chikosh suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. And due to climatic features and unsatisfactory conditions of detention in the prison, Eduard Chikosh often has acute exacerbations of the disease. He is also suspected to have an oncological disease. Therefore, there is an urgent need for further examination in a specialized clinic and possibly an in-patient treatment, the statement said. Human rights activists emphasize that the man may die without emergency medical care.

Eduard Chikosh, who worked in tourism business, was detained by Egyptian law enforcement officers in October 2011. He was accused of smuggling one piece of weapons and intent to start mass rioting. In March 2012, Eduard Chikosh was judged by the extraordinary court of the Arab Republic of Egypt and sentenced to 25 years in prison without the right to appeal.

The authors of the appeal emphasize that Eduard Chikosh was not able to fully realize his right to defense. Thus, the pre-trial case of Eduard Chikosh was conducted by the State Security Prosecutor, which was a violation of the CPC of Egypt. During all this time, he was given the opportunity to see the case materials only twice. In addition, Eduard Chikosh was judged by the extraordinary military court: the hearing was rushed, and the verdict was decided based on dubious testimony of one witness, as well as military officers, human rights activists said.