In a continued crackdown on freedoms in Egypt, the Cairo Criminal Court on Tuesday renewed the detention of academic Dr. Sherif El-Sakka and journalist Mohamed Saad Khattab for another 45 days, despite the severe deterioration in their health conditions. The decision has drawn widespread criticism from human rights groups over what they describe as the Egyptian judiciary’s punitive use of pretrial detention in freedom of expression cases.
The renewals were issued as part of Case No. 2810 of 2024 (Supreme State Security Prosecution), in which Sherif El-Sakka, a lecturer at Future University, faces charges of “joining a terrorist organization, spreading false news, and misuse of social media” — all related to Facebook posts discussing Egypt’s worsening economic conditions.
Although pretrial detention renewal sessions are meant to assess the legal grounds for continued detention, El-Sakka was not subjected to any new investigation. He appeared via video conference, which his lawyers described as a mere formality, lacking any real judicial review and making the renewal process a repetitive, routine measure devoid of justice.
Similarly, journalist Mohamed Saad Khattab’s detention was renewed for 45 more days, despite his having attended 12 previous renewal sessions since his arrest. He faces the same charges as El-Sakka in the same case.
Khattab’s continued detention has sparked serious concern due to his deteriorating health. He suffers from an autoimmune disease that causes painful mouth ulcers, in addition to chronic coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes — conditions that require urgent and ongoing medical care.
Despite his lawyers’ repeated requests for a medical assessment by a specialized committee, the prosecution has consistently refused, and the judge ignored his health complaints during the latest session. This has raised fears that his deteriorating condition is being deliberately neglected as a form of pressure against him.
These decisions reflect a systemic policy of using pretrial detention as a punitive measure against dissidents, activists, and journalists in Egypt. What was intended to be an exceptional legal procedure has effectively become an extended punishment without trial — in some cases lasting years without a court ruling.
The ongoing detention of El-Sakka and Khattab — both suffering serious health issues — underscores the state’s disregard for the lives and dignity of detainees. In Khattab’s case especially, the risk to his life is exacerbated by prison conditions, raising concerns of intentional medical neglect.
This is not merely a legal issue, but a blatant violation of basic human rights. Egypt’s extensive and abusive use of pretrial detention has turned it into a tool of repression to silence critical voices and entrench political control.
Such practices, including denial of conditional release and systemic physical and psychological pressure inside prisons, continue to take place without any legal guarantees for fair trials. These actions further isolate the Egyptian regime on the international stage and bolster calls for accountability over prison abuses — reinforcing demands for urgent reforms to uphold justice and civil liberties.
