In July 2020, Egyptians on social media started a campaign, with the help of many individual efforts, to bring justice to the victim of a famous rape case called the “Fairmont crime”, where multiple men drugged and raped a young woman following a party at the Fairmont Hotel. After several calls on social media, Egypt’s Public Prosecution ordered an investigation into the case. On the 26th of August, Ahmed El Ganzoury, the party organizer, was arrested from his home, and until today, he has been detained without being accused by the victim nor Egypt’s National Council for Women. Although video evidence shows that the crime took place in a room and not at the premises of the party, today marks 150 days for Ganzoury behind bars.
It is worth mentioning that Ganzoury’s events were licensed by the Egyptian authorities and overlooked by the hotel’s management. Since his detention, a number of people have been calling for his release, with a hashtag #freeganzoury. According to his family, friends, and coworkers, Ganzoury continuously invested his time, effort, and money to put Egypt on the map of world-class tourism and entertainment.
From launching huge projects and contributing to Egypt’s local economy, to funding charity organizations and promoting Egypt’s image worldwide, Ganzoury’s career over the coarse of 15 years contributed to Egypt’s tourism, hospitality, and entertainment sectors.
A few weeks ago, El Ganzoury’s mother wrote a letter directed at Egypt’s Public Prosecutor, explaining that her son has no relations to the Fairmont crime, and begging for his release, especially after other witnesses were released and there was no mention of his name. On the 6th of January, Egypt’s Public Prosecution announced a decision to release Seif El Deen Ahmed Bedour and Nazli Moustafa Karim, who were also arrested in connection to the Fairmont case.
