Question for written answer E-001742/2021 to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Rule 138 Brando Benifei (S&D), Patrizia Toia (S&D), Giuliano Pisapia (S&D), Bettina Vollath (S&D), Margarida Marques (S&D), Evelyn Regner (S&D), Andreas Schieder (S&D), Domènec Ruiz Devesa (S&D), Milan Brglez (S&D), Pierfrancesco Majorino (S&D), Petar Vitanov (S&D) Subject: The detention of Ahmed Samir Abdelhay Ali in Egypt Ahmed Samir Abdelhay Ali, a student at the Central European University in Austria, has been arbitrarily detained in Cairo, Egypt by the Egyptian Security Forces since 1 February 2021, after he returned to Egypt to spend the holidays with his family. Mr Samir, a researcher into the history of family planning in Egypt and an advocate of safe and legal access to healthcare and women’s reproductive rights, has been charged by the Supreme State Security Prosecution with joining and funding a terrorist organisation and deliberately spreading false news. Mr Samir is currently being held in solitary confinement and is being denied contact with his family and lawyers, access to warm clothing and acceptable living conditions. He has testified to being a victim of torture and inhuman and degrading treatment by national security forces. His case is reminiscent of those of Patrick George Zaki, Walid al-Shobaki and Giulio Regeni. 1. Is the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy aware of this latest worrying case? 2. Will he raise this issue with the Egyptian authorities as a matter of urgency and call for Mr Samir’s immediate release and for the withdrawal of all charges against him? PE691.730v01-00.