Expression

Freedom of expression continues to be restricted in Egypt, particularly through the use of legal measures targeting critics and public figures. On 6 April 2026, Egyptian authorities detained human rights defender and poet Ahmed Douma after he appeared before the Supreme State Security Prosecution for questioning. He was placed in pretrial detention for four days on charges related to his writings and social media activity, including accusations of spreading false information and disturbing public order. The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) and other human rights organisations criticised the detention, noting that it formed part of a pattern of repeated judicial harassment against Douma. According to EIPR, the April 2026 proceedings constituted the seventh investigation opened against him in less than two years since his release by presidential pardon in August 2023, with successive cases reportedly linked to his articles, public statements, and online expression. On the same day, authorities also released activist Sherif al-Rouby, a member of the April 6 Youth Movement, after years of detention on similar charges. While his release was seen as a positive development, it reflects a broader pattern in which political activists are subjected to prolonged detention and judicial pressure, highlighting the contradictory dynamics of repression and selective releases within Egypt’s civic space.

In the same context, on 11 May 2026, Egyptian filmmaker and screenwriter Omar Salah Marei was reportedly arrested following a raid on his home in Cairo and held incommunicado for several days, raising concerns over enforced disappearance, denial of legal safeguards, and continued restrictions on artistic and freedom of expression in Egypt. He was later brought before the Supreme State Security Prosecution, which ordered his pre-trial detention pending investigation on charges reportedly linked to “spreading false news” in connection with his online expression. Human rights organisations have also raised concerns regarding his access to adequate medical care while in custody, calling for his release and highlighting the case as part of a broader pattern of the use of prolonged pre-trial detention and security-related charges against critical voices.

Further reinforcing this pattern, restrictions on freedom of expression in Egypt continued in late May 2026, with reports of a coordinated wave of arrests targeting lawyers and activists associated with the Committee for the Defence of Prisoners of Conscience. On 25 May 2026, security forces reportedly arrested lawyer and human rights activist Nael Hassan alongside several colleagues during separate home raids carried out in different locations. The arrests were linked to their involvement in advocacy activities in support of political detainees, including participation in public and online campaigns calling for the release of prisoners of conscience and criticizing detention conditions. According to reports, the individuals were subsequently brought before the Public Prosecution, where some were placed in pre-trial detention while others were released on bail.