The family of Brisbane man Hazem Hamouda, 55, are calling for answers after he didn't show for his scheduled release from an Egyptian jail.
The father of six since being detained moments after he arrived in Egypt on January 25, 2018.
Egyptian authorities accuse him of being associated with the banned Muslim Brotherhood and spreading false information - but no charges have been laid.
In a twist, Egypt’s prosecutor-general ordered Mr Hamouda’s release for February 19, however, he never showed up and his whereabouts were not known.
His daughter Lamisse Hamouda told SBS Arabic24: “The public persecutor himself called the Australian diplomats in Cairo and told them he will be released, with all charges dropped.”
Hazem Hamouda and his wife in Brisbane in 2017. Source: Supplied
“We were supposed to collect him on Tuesday, but he didn’t appear at the release point in the police station, and he didn’t appear in his cell back in prison," she added.
“He vanished in the way between the prison and the police station.”
Ms Hamouda said the family was told by the Australian embassy and their lawyer in Egypt that Mr Hamouda had been detained again for another round of investigation by state security.
“It is basically illegal,” Ms Hamouda said.
“I am angry, exhausted, frustrated, exasperated and really crushed. When you think the nightmare is over it actually gets worse."
“We hope that they hold their word and actually release him, but until then we will continue fighting to try to get him out of prison.”
Mr Hamouda’s legal representatives Caoilfhionn Gallagher and Jennifer Robinson have filed appeals with the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) and Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) calling for information about Mr Hamouda’s whereabouts.
Hazem Hamouda with his wife Evelyn in 1988. Source: Supplied
“Mr Hamouda has already been unjustly and arbitrarily detained for over a year. There is no lawful basis for his continued detention. His disappearance raises grave concerns for his safety and security. We call upon Egypt to provide information about his whereabouts and to ensure his immediate release,” the legal team said in a .
Egypt has been under a state of emergency since 2017 where authorities have wide powers to arrest and detain without charge.
In 2014, Egypt passed a law that allowed the deportation of foreign nationals even if they were convicted.
The law was used to deport Australian Journalist Peter Greste after he spent a year in prison.
Mr Greste called the arrest of Mr Hamouda a "travesty and an outrage".
"Australian diplomats were told charges had been dropped against Aussie national Hazem Hamouda and he was due for release," Mr Greste said on Twitter. "He is now disappeared."
