The Egyptian regime continues to use arbitrary detention and vague charges to silence critical voices, in clear violation of the right to freedom of expression and fair trial rights guaranteed by international conventions, most notably the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The Cairo Criminal Court decided to renew the detention of Cartoonist Ashraf Omar and Journalists Yasser Abu El-Ela and Ramadan Goweida for 45 days.
Ashraf Omar was arrested for his cartoons addressing political and social issues and faces charges of joining a terrorist group, spreading false news, and misusing social media.
According to his defence team, Omar was beaten and tortured during his arrest and detention at a National Security headquarters, where he was forcibly disappeared for several days before appearing at the prosecution in the Fifth Settlement.
Omar was not the only one to face this fate; Journalists Yasser Abu El-Ela and Ramadan Goweida were subjected to similar violations. Abu El-Ela was arrested from his home on March 10, 2024, and held at an unknown security facility for more than 50 days, during which he was subjected to psychological and physical torture.
Despite his defence lawyers’ requests for a medical examination to prove the marks of torture on his body, the prosecution did not respond. Furthermore, Abu El-Ela was sentenced to a life sentence in absentia while actually being detained and never been brought to a court before.
Ramadan Goweida was arrested on May 1, 2024, while returning to his home in Menoufia Governorate. He was forcibly disappeared for 40 days before appearing at the prosecution to face the same charges.
These arrests are a recurring pattern in Egypt, where the Anti-Terrorism Law and the Cybercrime Law are used as tools to criminalise journalistic work and peaceful expression.
The continued detention of Ashraf Omar and his fellow journalists reflects a worrying deterioration in the state of press freedoms in Egypt and raises questions about the role of the international community in pressuring for an end to these violations and ensuring that detainees are guaranteed their basic rights in accordance with international standards.
