Egypt witnessed three significant events over three consecutive days. It began with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s decision to return the draft Criminal Procedures Law to parliament for amendments. The law had stirred broad controversy between parliament and the human rights and political community. The decision was welcomed by democratic political forces and human rights organizations.
The following day, the president issued a pardon for blogger and programmer Alaa Abdel Fattah and four others, after a long campaign led by his family, most notably his mother, Dr. Laila Soueif, who went on a hunger strike for more than nine months.
However, the atmosphere that some viewed as a sign of political opening did not last long. Researcher and writer Ismail Alexandrani was arrested at a checkpoint while returning from Siwa governorate. The Supreme State Security Prosecution decided to detain him for 15 days pending investigation in case no. 6469 of 2025, on charges of spreading false news, joining a terrorist group, and using a website to promote ideas inciting terrorist acts, following several hours of enforced disappearance.
On the day after Alexandrani’s detention order, the Supreme State Security Prosecution summoned writer and political activist Ahmed Douma for a new interrogation session on Monday, September 29, in a new case related to publishing and opinion, according to what Douma announced on his Facebook page. This marks the fifth summons in recent months, as Douma faces six consecutive cases, all tied to his work in writing, expression, and creativity.
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The Arrest of Ismail Alexandrani
At dawn on Wednesday, researcher Ismail Alexandrani disappeared for long hours after being stopped at a security checkpoint in Marsa Matrouh governorate, according to rights sources.
Alexandrani had published a post on his personal Facebook page indicating that he had been stopped at a checkpoint on the Marsa Matrouh road, before his phones were switched off and all contact with him was cut. He was later brought before the Supreme State Security Prosecution, which ordered his detention for 15 days pending investigation in case no. 6469 of 2025. The charges included “spreading false news,” “joining a terrorist group,” and “using a website to promote ideas calling for terrorist acts.”
Lawyer Mahienour El-Massry, a member of Alexandrani’s defense team, told Zawia3 that the investigation relied on National Security reports. He was confronted with 18 Facebook posts he had previously published. She explained that these posts included scattered opinions on various issues, such as the fishermen’s case, the appointment of female judges to the State Council, and the protection of embassies, in addition to one post concerning Sinai activist Said Atteq, who criticized the growing influence of Sinai businessman Ibrahim El-Organy.
El-Massry stressed that Alexandrani’s health condition cannot withstand imprisonment. He suffers from diabetes, which he developed during his first imprisonment, along with respiratory illnesses that require him to use a breathing device while sleeping. Part of this device was lost during his interrogation at National Security and was not in his possession at the time of his detention order. She added that lawyers are still waiting to confirm his place of detention in order to ensure his wellbeing.
Just minutes before his arrest, Alexandrani had posted on Facebook about the release of seven fishermen from the village of Borg Mighezel in Kafr El-Sheikh governorate, among forty detainees held in case no. 662 of 2020 by State Security. The case dates back to 2020, when forty Egyptian fishermen were arrested at the Salloum border crossing following a legal fishing trip to Libya. Although suspicions centered on their alleged involvement in smuggling irregular migrants, they remained detained for many years without trial, exceeding the legal limit for pretrial detention, leaving them forgotten inside prisons.
Is Egypt on the Path to a Political Truce?
The presidential pardon for blogger and programmer Alaa Abdel Fattah came the day after the president refused to ratify the Criminal Procedures Law and returned it to parliament. This opened the door to speculation about the possibility of a political truce between the Egyptian authorities on one side, and the opposition and civil society on the other, especially with parliamentary elections approaching and amid mounting tensions caused by the humanitarian crisis resulting from the genocide waged by the occupying forces against the Gaza Strip.
But such expectations quickly receded after security forces arrested researcher and journalist Ismail Alexandrani the very next day following Alaa Abdel Fattah’s release.
Commenting on these expectations, human rights lawyer Mohamed El-Baqer told Zawia3: “Personally, I do not see a direct link between the pardon of Alaa Abdel Fattah and the president’s refusal to ratify the Criminal Procedures Law. The timing may simply have coincided. But Alaa’s case has its own context and circumstances that have stretched over years, making it an independent track.”
He added: “Both decisions are positive. If we look at them together, they can be considered a step in a better direction—whether toward broader political openness, reinforcing public integrity, or improving the situation of activists.”
El-Baqer concluded: “The pardon for Alaa was not entirely unexpected. His removal from the terrorism lists had preceded it, which was a sign that relief was near. What we hope for is that this positive horizon extends to include others still imprisoned—whether those held in pretrial detention or those serving sentences that need to be reviewed according to fair trial standards.”
In this context, Ilham Eidarous, co-founder of the under-establishment Bread and Freedom Party, said that the past days cannot be considered a sign of a “political truce.” She explained to Zawia3 that these events may be scattered and not necessarily connected by common threads. She noted that the Criminal Procedures Law has drawn many reservations both locally and internationally, and that the pardon of Alaa Abdel Fattah came after a long trajectory of pressure and demands, which included earlier indications that his release might be possible.
Eidarous added that Alaa is not an isolated case; many activists face similar conditions, such as Mohamed Adel and Mohamed Oxygen, without being included in release decisions. She considered what happened with Alaa Abdel Fattah a positive step in itself, but not one that necessarily reflects a fundamental change in public policy. She argued that the ongoing state of unchecked security practices limits the possibility of speaking about any real transformation in the political scene.
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Contradictory Messages Ahead of Elections
While lawyer Nada Saad Eldin views the return of the Criminal Procedures Law to parliament, alongside the pardon of Alaa Abdel Fattah, as steps in a course of political de-escalation, she believes this path quickly received a contradictory message with the arrest of researcher Ismail Alexandrani and his 15-day detention pending investigation.
Saad Eldin added that Egypt is going through a critical phase, stressing that what the country needs at this moment is the release of detainees and a calming of internal tensions, so it can focus on dealing with major issues and rising tensions along its borders.
By contrast, human rights lawyer Halim Heniesh told Zawia3 that the arrest and detention of researcher and journalist Ismail Alexandrani raises questions about the message the state wishes to send at this time. He noted that Alexandrani was never a confrontational figure, but rather was known for his objectivity and calmness. His latest writings, Heniesh explained, included praise for some of the recent “opening” measures, whether related to prisoner releases or the management of sensitive foreign policy issues.
“Yet he was arrested and charged with State Security accusations merely for expressing his opinion on Facebook. The message here is not about punishing one individual as much as it is about showing that peaceful expression—even if balanced or even containing praise—can still cost its author his freedom,” Heniesh said.
Heniesh added that what was described as the only “crime” Alexandrani committed—one that prompted National Security investigations, a State Security Prosecution warrant, a checkpoint arrest, and pretrial detention—was nothing more than writing and publishing his views on his personal Facebook page.
He concluded: “All this is happening in a politically sensitive moment, right before parliamentary elections, and amid regional instability—circumstances that should push any state to broaden freedoms and open up the public sphere, not restrict it. While slogans of ‘unity of the internal front and reconciliation’ are raised, these signals confirm that any space for free expression, even the most measured, remains under threat.”
Ismail Alexandrani is considered one of Egypt’s most prominent investigative journalists and researchers on social and political affairs. He has received multiple awards for his work and became known for his investigations into the situation in the Sinai Peninsula and armed groups there. He also collaborated with various research institutions, including the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights and the Arab Reform Initiative.
He was released in December 2022 after serving seven years in prison under a military court ruling that initially sentenced him to ten years, later reduced to seven. He had been convicted on charges including “leaking military secrets” and “belonging to a terrorist group,” charges upheld by a military court in December 2018.
The case dates back to November 29, 2015, when he was arrested at Hurghada International Airport upon his return from Berlin. Authorities confiscated his laptop, mobile phone, and personal belongings, which were later used as evidence against him. He spent more than two years in pretrial detention before being referred to a military trial on charges related to “disclosing military secrets.”
The pardon of Alaa Abdel Fattah offered a glimmer of hope for many families, human rights advocates, and politicians alike. Yet the detention of Ismail Alexandrani revived concerns about the limits of freedoms and peaceful expression. Between cautious optimism and recurring disappointment, the central question remains: Are these scattered steps without context, or part of a broader, more ambiguous landscape as the upcoming elections draw near?
