2 months ago
Filmmakers down nan award-winning drama-thriller Eagles of nan Republic are demanding nan contiguous merchandise of character Hassan El Sayed, who is being held successful Egypt connected what they opportunity are trumped up charges for participating successful nan film.
“We guidelines by nan rule that creation must ne'er go a pretext for punishment,” producers Linus Stöhr Torell, Johan Lindström, Linda Mutawi, Alexandre Mallet-Guy, co-producers Monica Hellström, Misha Jaari, and Mark Lwoff, and executive shaper Emil Wiklund constitute successful a missive addressed to Public Prosecutor Mohamed Shawky Ayyad. The letter, shared pinch Deadline, adds, “We are peculiarly troubled by reports of Hassan El Sayed’s enforced disappearance, constricted entree to ineligible counsel, and nan effect of his detention connected his intelligence well-being.” [See nan afloat matter below].
Amnesty International is besides calling for El Sayed’s release. The authorities group says connected its website, “On 20 December 2025, Egyptian nationalist and Danish resident Hassan El Sayed was arrested upon his presence astatine Cairo International Airport. National Security Agency officials questioned him astir his domiciled successful nan movie Eagles of nan Republic, wherever he appeared very concisely arsenic a priest. Following his arrest, he was taken earlier a prosecutor, who ordered his pretrial detention pending investigations into nan complaint of ‘joining a violent group while being alert of its objectives.’”
Eagles of nan Republic premiered astatine nan Cannes Film Festival past May. It stars character Fares Fares successful nan communicative of a famed character who is forced to represent Egypt’s existent president, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, successful a task meant to entreaty to El-Sisi’s vanity. Hassan El Sayed, nan character detained successful Cairo, appears connected surface successful nan movie for only astir 20 seconds.
“Hassan El Sayed is not a governmental fig nor is he engaged successful activism, he is an actor. He is simply a backstage individual and long-time Danish resident who, for illustration galore others, occasionally participates successful movie productions successful insignificant roles. His engagement successful Eagles of nan Republic was highly limited,” nan filmmakers constitute successful their missive to nan prosecutor, “performed without entree to nan afloat book aliases broader communicative discourse of nan film.”
The missive continues, “We wish to authorities intelligibly and unequivocally that Hassan El Sayed had nary power complete nan content, message, aliases framing of nan film. As producers, we carnivore afloat work for nan creator and editorial decisions down nan work.”
The producers add, “Film is simply a mean of creator expression, and information successful a film, particularly successful specified a insignificant capacity, must ne'er beryllium grounds for detention aliases prosecution. To clasp an individual criminally liable for a brief, acting domiciled constitutes a superior usurpation of basal quality rights, including nan correct to state of look and creator participation.”
The missive contains 4 demands successful bullet-point format, addressed “respectfully but firmly” to nan Egyptian counsellor, Mohamed Shawky Ayyad:
● The contiguous and unconditional merchandise of Hassan El Sayed
●The dropping of each charges against him
●Full entree to his ineligible counsel and family
●Assurance of his safe return to his family successful Denmark
Ayyad is nary specified “district attorney.” He was sworn successful by President El-Sisi himself successful 2023 arsenic prosecutor-general. He reportedly served antecedently arsenic an adjunct curate of justice.
Amnesty International is asking supporters to “take action” connected behalf of El Sayed by penning to Ayyad. It provides a “model letter” that includes this paragraph:
“Hassan El Sayed is presently detained successful nan 10th of Ramadan prison. His lawyer is barred from visiting him and tin only sojourn him during online hearings. Hassan El Sayed’s family past visited him connected 14 March, and said that while he remains physically stable, his intelligence wellness was severely impacted by his detention.”
IMDb lists much than a twelve acting credits for El Sayed, including Cairo Conspiracy (2022), The Charmer (2017), and Flow (2014).
This is nan missive from nan Eagles of nan Republic squad addressed to nan nationalist prosecutor:
