‘They try to break us’: Pro-Palestine activists in Czech custody

Youssef Moursi, a 25-year-old Egyptian student at Prague’s Charles University and pro-Palestine activist, has been held in pre-trial detention for six months. He is one of 11 people charged with “terrorism” over a March arson attack on a Czech weapons factory allegedly linked to Israel; he denies involvement and could face up to 20 years in prison. According to his lawyer, Moursi spent his first three months in solitary confinement and now gets one hour outside his cell and 20 minutes on the phone each day, with visits every two weeks. He says the treatment is intended to break detainees psychologically and condemns prolonged custody without direct evidence.