Brazil's Chamber of Deputies Human Rights Committee sent an official request to the Foreign Ministry and Justice Ministry for urgent action regarding an Egyptian family detained at Guarulhos International Airport since April 8. The family's 34-week pregnant wife was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection after severe lower abdominal pains on Friday, April 24. The document describes their stay in a restricted-area hotel as a human rights violation.
Committee president Deputy Alice Portugal (PCdoB-BA) signed the request sent on Monday, April 27. The family—Abdallah Montaser, a 31-year-old Egyptian civil engineer, his 27-year-old wife, and children aged 2 and 5—remains in precarious conditions at the airport.
The pregnant woman was taken to a Guarulhos hospital on Friday after reporting intense pains, diagnosed with a urinary tract infection before returning. The committee prioritizes ongoing medical care for the expectant mother, fetal clinical evaluation, dignified living conditions, and humanitarian treatment.
Montaser, sentenced to three years of forced labor in Egypt for joining 2015 political protests and living in Bahrain, arrived in Brazil from Saudi Arabia. Lawyer William Fernandes states the family was deemed dangerous under Justice Ministry Portaria 770/2019 without specific reasons given, denying any criminal ties.
They fear deportation to Egypt, where Montaser risks arrest. The committee demands coordinated ministry actions to address the case humanely.
