HRDs relentlessly targeted, abusive detention conditions, famed blogger released

Expression

SUMMONS TACTICS USED TO INTIMIDATE AND HARASS HRDS

On 15th February 2026, women’s rights activist and co-founder of the El Nadeem Center for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence and Torture Dr. Aida Seif al‑Dawla received a summons order by Egypt’s Supreme State Security Prosecution (SSSP) without clear charges and was subsequently interrogated with regard to El Nadeem Centre’s annual report entitled “366 days of oppression, violations and breaking the law”, which listed several the number of deaths, torture cases and enforced disappearance in Egypt in 2025. During the interrogation, it was revealed that she was facing an ongoing investigation containing charges of “spreading false news in Egypt and abroad with the aim of disrupting public security and peace and causing confusion”. Her release following the interrogation was on a bail set at 100,000 Egyptian pounds (1,800 euros). In response, a collective of Egyptian and international rights organisations issued a joint statement condemning these measures in which public figures are summoned, interrogated for hours at the SSP and subsequently accused of “spreading false news”, “joining or financing a terrorist group” or “misusing social media”, only to be later released on excessive bail. As of the writing of this update, the case against her is still ongoing.

ABUSE AND DETERIORATING CONDITIONS IN DETENTION FOR POLITICAL PRISONERS

According to the Committee for Justice’s (CFJ) biannual report on detention justice in the latter half of 2025, published on 21st February 2026, at least 973 violations occurred in at least 40 official and unofficial detention facilities across 17 Egyptian governorates. “Arbitrary deprivation of liberty” rests at the top of all violations, representing almost 81% of all cases. They note that the documented cases are not isolated incidents but rather indicative of a state policy that has “expanded reliance on pretrial detention, tolerance of torture and medical negligence in the absence of effective accountability”.

Shortly after, on 5th March 2026, the CFJ documented grave cases of abuse and violations against political detainees held in the Correctional and Rehabilitation Centre of the Wadi el Natroon prison. Reports cited degrading prison raids and the transfer of detainees to an “intake ward” where they were stripped of their personal belongings and denied basic living necessities such as sufficient food and medical care. Allegations of torture and solitary confinement were also recorded. The CFJ called for an “urgent and transparent investigation” into the violations committed.

These revelations come as part of a larger pattern of abusive detention tactics used by officials in Egypt, tactics which led to the death of political prisoners Dr Galal Abdel-Sadiq Mohamed Al-Sahlab in Al-Minya prison on 9th February and Sameh Amer in Badr prison the day after, both, in their seventies and fifties respectively, allegedly having been victim of medical negligence. Amer’s death sparked outrage in the prison, where detainees banged on cell doors and set fire to blankets. For years, international human rights organisations have documented the deliberate denial of healthcare in Egyptian prisons, reflective of prison impunity and lack of independent oversight.

FAMED BLOGGER AND JOURNALIST RELEASED AFTER YEARS BEHIND BARS

On 17th March 2026, Egypt’s Supreme State Security Prosecution (SSSP) ordered the release of 31 pretrial detainees, including famed blogger and journalist Mohamed Ibrahim Radwan, known under the name “Mohamed Oxygen” as a nod to his infamous “Egypt’s Oxygen” blog, who had been the victim of judicial harassment since 2018 and behind bars since 2019. His ordeal first began in 2018: he was first arrested on 6th April after reporting on government opposition figures and irregularities in Egypt’s 2018 presidential elections on his blog. He was then released on parole on 21st July 2019, only to be rearrested on 21st September 2019 under new charges of membership in a banned group. On 3rd November 2020, a terrorism court ordered the release of 30 prisoners held in pretrial detention, including Radwan, without clear reason. However, on 10th November 2020, right before his release, the state’s prosecutor’s office brought an additional charge against him, accusing him of membership in a terrorist organisation. Following this investigation, on 20th December 2021, Radwan received his first-ever sentence of four years for “spreading false news and undermining state security”, alongside well-known activist Alaa Abdel Fattah who similarly received five years on the same charges.

In August 2021, Radwan attempted suicide in his cell after being deprived visits from family and lawyers in months. In April 2023, he was beaten and placed in solitary confinement for trying to defend elderly prison cellmate. Between April and May 2024, Radwan was on a hunger strike to protest “inhumane” detention conditions and abuse. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) called on the UN special rapporteur on torture to intervene in Radwan’s subjection to physical and psychological torture.

On 20th January 2026, the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) called for his immediate release following the completion of his four-year sentence as of 3rd January 2026, which doesn’t even take into consideration the multiple years he spent in pretrial detention prior to his sentencing. In a final episode of judicial harassment, Radwan’s detention had been renewed to 45 more days, after having completed his sentence, under investigation for potential affiliation to a case from 6 years ago. He was not allowed to attend the hearing via video conference or present his defense. Then, on 18th March, Egyptian Journalists’ Syndicate Head Khaled El-Balshy confirmed Radwan had been freed pending place of residence.