Press point by David SASSOLI, EP President and members the association supporting Patrick Zaki in the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Patrick George Zaki, Egyptian activist and researcher, was arrested on February 2020 after he landed in Cairo’s international airport (Egypt) for a visit to see his family.

Strasbourg

press point

EU - Egypt (T)

respect for human rights in the world (T)

SASSOLI, David Maria (S&D, IT, S&D, IT)

Press point by David SASSOLI, EP President and by members the association supporting Patrick Zaki

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Member of the association, We are here to deliver the 270 thousand signatures of citizens across Europe in favor of granting Italian citizenship to Patrick Zaki.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President, This is a very important gesture. Among other things, he also shows how much attention, on the part of not only Italy where Patrick lived or studied, but from all European countries. So his story was really adopted by public opinions across Europe.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Member of the association, We deliver, together with this box, which is a very precious treasure for us, a red thread that speaks of social militancy, which aims to give voice to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. Speaking of downward mobilization for the future is a red thread that binds freedom of thought to hope and binds us right now Patrik Zaki, who is a symbol of the best Egyptian youth, but not only that. Patrick Zaki today is a symbol of all prisoners of freedom, but not only that. Today he is a symbol of the dreams of all the young people who move to study abroad, in those cultural interchanges also hoped for by Erasmus Mundus. It is a symbol of the very future of Europe. As Sergio Mattarella, Italian President of Republic said yesterday, precisely in Sorbonne, today it is the challenges of the global world that demand again a European presence that lives up to his responsibilities. Otherwise, peace, freedoms and prosperity could become disappear in the future, even for us Europeans.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Member of the association, Patrick studied hard, won a scholarship, we want to remember it here. Out of 600 candidates, 29 obtained it within the Erasmus Mundus project, promoted by the European Union and transposed by the Member States and their universities, with programs of excellence conceived and implemented from an international partnership. The European Union itself, on its website, talks about students' rights abroad, not failing to point out how learning mobility also benefits the European Union itself.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Member of the association, Patrick welcomed this proposal, studied, won the scholarship and started encouraged by that European project, with a baggage full of dreams. The same dreams for which today he suffers a cruel arbitrary illegal detention.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Member of the association, Today we are here to ask to the Italian Government, today the Chamber oddeputies also approved the motion for an act of courage, for the first time. May it be a tangible, unequivocal signal of a clear stance in defence of fundamental human rights. And this act of courage is called Italian citizenship for Patrick Zaki.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Member of the association, Why is it Italy? Because with the granting of Italian citizenship Patrick would automatically acquire European citizenship with a series of procedural guarantees. In fact, the Italian legal system provides that it can be granted where there is an exceptional interest in the national community. And in the face of what is happening Patrick, there is an exceptional interest of the state. The condition of abuse to which it is subjected violates: the right to psychophysical integrity, the freedom of manifestation of thought, the right not to be subjected to inhuman and degrading treatments, torture. Rights that the Italian State is called to protect because of its connection with Patrick, student of the Erasmus Mundus who chose Italy as a destination for the scholarship won.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Member of the association, There are several precedents on the subject. The last one dates back to 2018 when, in favor of Alfio Evans, it was granted in order to ensure health treatments to safeguard his health. We ask that the health of Patrick Zaki, physical but above all psychophysics, be safeguarded. Let his dreams be safeguarded, together with his dream, that is an European future for all young people.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President, I want to thank you. I would like to thank you for the delivery of these signatures that show how much attention is on the part of all European public opinions on the story of Patrick Zaki. There was the attention of the institutions, from the beginning. We were also hoping for some gestures from the Egyptian authorities, but we've been waiting unnecessarily for seventeen months. The value of Italian citizenship also translates into European citizenship. And so this gesture, which you have made, giving the European Parliament this petition, has a very important value. Not only because we all want to be close to this guy that we feel like one of our kids. But, at the same time, because it gives Europe a strong charge of defending fundamental values.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President, There has never been any talk of fundamental values in Europe as at this time, when there is a reconstruction to be done. And I think this is a strong value. That's why I want to thank you. And of course, the European Parliament will follow, and will continue to follow, the story of Patrick Zaki. We did it from the beginning. Of course we were expecting some gestures, as I said, but they didn't come. And right now we want to make our closeness feel, the closeness of all Europeans and representatives of European citizens, here in the European Parliament, around its condition, which, as you said, it's very cruel.