In this issue, we examine interconnected violations in which politics intersects with justice, the economy with citizenship, and individual rights with the engineering of public life. From prisons where assaults escalate and “post-pardon” prosecutions continue to prosecution offices and an engineered parliament, a system emerges that reproduces restrictions through legal, security and administrative tools.
Politics and Public Life
Physical Assault and Threats of “Discipline”: Mohamed Adel Faces Violations in 10th of Ramadan Prison
The family of political activist and former April 6 Movement spokesperson Mohamed Adel faces escalating violations against him in 10th of Ramadan Correctional and Rehabilitation Centre (4).
According to his wife Rofayda Hamdy’s account, criminal prisoners beat Adel and attempted to strangle him on 10 January. His family accused prison management of inciting the incident to pressure him into ending his hunger strike, ongoing since 7 December.
On 19 January, the Advocate General at Mansoura Appeals Prosecution heard his family’s testimony regarding a complaint in which the defence requested a medical examination and an investigation into prison officials. Human rights organisations expressed grave concern, demanding official documentation of injuries and accountability under the law.
Bail for “Posts”: Ahmed Douma before State Security Prosecution for the Fifth Time
On 20 January, the Supreme State Security Prosecution released poet Ahmed Douma on EGP 100,000 bail pending Case No. 403 of 2026, after an eight-hour interrogation on a charge of “publishing false news.” Questioning centred on five online posts, four concerning the assault on Mohamed Adel in prison.
This is Douma’s fifth prosecution since his release under a presidential pardon in August 2023, raising questions about continued “post-prison prosecution” as a means of restricting released political figures.
Ammar Ali Hassan to Zawia3: Parliament Is “Engineered” and the National Dialogue Was a Missed Opportunity
In an exclusive interview with Zawia3, writer and political thinker Ammar Ali Hassan dissected the current landscape. He described Egyptian journalism as “shackled” and unable to exercise oversight because of information restrictions and harsher penalties for “false reporting.”
He described the latest parliamentary elections as “engineered” to produce predetermined results, turning parliament into a conduit for executive policies. He argued that the National Dialogue had been consumed as a public relations instrument rather than a genuine reform process.
Read the interview: Ammar Ali Hassan to Zawia3: Journalism Is Shackled, Parliament Is Engineered, and the National Dialogue Was a Missed Opportunity
Rights and Freedoms
El Nadeem: 2025 Saw 1,423 Enforced Disappearances and 78 Deaths in Detention
El Nadeem Centre against Violence and Torture published its annual report, “From the Media: Archive of Oppression in 2025,” documenting a devastating toll of human rights violations in Egypt: 1,423 enforced disappearances, 474 cases of medical neglect, 71 individual torture cases, 66 extrajudicial killings by security forces, and 78 deaths in detention resulting from torture or medical neglect.
Violations occurred across governorates. Cairo recorded more than 2,000 violations of various kinds, followed by Sharqia and Giza with more than 300 and 100 cases respectively.
The centre noted escalation in 2025 despite official rhetoric about “modern correctional centres.” It recorded 253 cases of denial of treatment and 195 incidents of individual harassment in prisons. Restrictions and isolation continued in Badr, 10th of Ramadan and Minya maximum-security prisons, described as “black holes beyond oversight.”
El Nadeem said violations extended beyond detainees to society through the “systematic engineering of fear and deprivation.” It described state policy as “deprivation of life, liberty, care and dignity, even after pardon or release.”
The report also documented 309 new enforced disappearance cases during the year, while 1,439 people subsequently appeared before security bodies or prosecutors, most after disappearances lasting days to months. Some were placed in new cases despite release orders.
It warned that extrajudicial killings were being officially justified as “eliminating dangerous elements,” without independent investigations or trials. Some victims were children killed in security raids whose names were omitted from Interior Ministry statements.
Of the detention deaths, 44 occurred in prisons, 31 in police stations and three during transfer in prison vehicles. Nine further deaths were recorded during enforced disappearance or inside National Security premises.
El Nadeem called for independent investigations and accountability for torture, medical neglect and enforced disappearance. It renewed its demand to end policies of impunity, which it identified as the reason violations persist and escalate year after year.
“Oxygen” Detained after Completing His Sentence; a New Complaint on Badr (3)
The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights called for blogger Mohamed Ibrahim, known as “Oxygen,” to be released, stressing that he remained imprisoned despite completing his four-year sentence in Case No. 1228 of 2021. The sentence ended on 3 January 2026, but he remains in Badr (1) Prison without a clear legal basis, amid continued placement in older cases dating to 2020.
EIPR director Hossam Bahgat also submitted a complaint to the Public Prosecutor seeking a criminal investigation into conditions at Badr (3). It documented arbitrary visitation bans, restrictions on medical care, surveillance cameras inside cells and denial of university examinations to detained students.
“Egypt without Prisoners of Conscience”: Legal Action on Excessive Pretrial Detention
On 14 January, the Committee for the Defence of Prisoners of Conscience submitted a memorandum to the Public Prosecutor demanding immediate release of people whose pretrial detention exceeded the maximum of two years.
Supported by the “Egypt without Prisoners of Conscience” initiative, the memorandum stressed that exceeding legal limits invalidates detention. It urged the prosecution to “prioritise the spirit of justice” and relieve families’ suffering to safeguard social stability.
Society and Administrative Justice
Al-Maraya Excluded from the Book Fair for a Second Year, without Explanation
Yahia Fikry, executive director of Al-Maraya Publishing House, revealed that the publisher had been barred from the Cairo International Book Fair without official notification or legal justification.
In his interview with Zawia3, he described the “unannounced” ban as part of a pattern of restrictions on independent publishers. He warned of economic and cultural consequences that contradict official rhetoric about supporting culture and confronting extremism.
Read the interview: Yahia Fikry to Zawia3: Al-Maraya Excluded from the Book Fair for a Second Year without Official Explanation
Al-Bawaba News Journalists’ Sit-in Forcibly Dispersed; Newspaper Owner Expelled from the Syndicate
Bodyguards stormed Al-Bawaba News headquarters in Dokki to disperse journalists’ sit-in demanding overdue wages. Nine journalists and two syndicate board members were subsequently investigated on a charge of “protesting.” The Journalists Syndicate announced the removal of newspaper owner Abdel Rahim Ali from its membership for violating syndicate law, seeking to protect professional rights and confront arbitrary practices.
Higher Technological Institute Refuses to Implement a Court Ruling for a University Professor
The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the management of the Higher Technological Institute in 6th of October City refused to implement a final, binding judgment for Dr Manar El-Tantawy, a professor in its Mechanical Engineering Department, recognising her entitlement to promotion to the rank of professor. The judgment is enforceable and cannot be appealed.
Human rights organisations describe the refusal as part of systematic arbitrary measures and administrative harassment against El-Tantawy, gravely violating the rule of law and constitutionally guaranteed academic and labour rights.
Urban Development and the Economy
Expropriation in 2024: 24,000 Feddans and Residents Displaced from 17,000 Homes
Built Environment Observatory published a study analysing public-benefit decisions in the Official Gazette during 2024. It identified 109 public-benefit projects, 32% of them transport and bridge projects.
The study documented expropriation of around 24,000 feddans, including 6,000 agricultural feddans, and evacuation of more than 17,000 residential units. Compensation was estimated at EGP 35 billion, two-thirds allocated to transport projects.
Egypt Faces the “Major Debt Year”: Bets on Swaps and Divestment
The Egyptian government is preparing for 2026, described as the “hardest” year in its contemporary debt history, with external obligations reaching around USD 29 billion. Its multi-track strategy includes expanding debt-for-investment swaps, continuing sovereign asset sales and extending domestic debt maturities.
Despite ambitious official targets of lowering debt to 70% of GDP by 2029 and gradually returning to international bond markets, the biggest challenge remains debt service, currently consuming around half of public expenditure and keeping the budget in a constant race to secure liquidity.
Dr Ahmed Aboud, professor of economics at the University of Portsmouth, believes debt-for-investment swaps could effectively reduce external debt and open new investment opportunities in Egypt. The mechanism replaces state obligations to creditors with investment projects owned by creditor countries in Egypt, investing the funds in projects instead of repaying principal or interest in cash.
“In other words, debt is converted into assets or investments owned by creditor countries, directly reducing Egypt’s debt while expanding its investment base,” he told Zawia3.
He cautioned that success depends on Egypt’s attractiveness as an investment destination. Some countries may reject investment swaps in favour of cash repayment or conventional returns.
Recommended reading: Unemployment Figures Fall in Egypt, but Poverty Rises: Whom Should We Believe?
Healthcare Legislation: A “Privatisation Law” Deepens Service Shortages
The Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights warned of the consequences of the law granting concessions for healthcare facilities, which permits private investors to manage public hospitals.
The centre said this approach worsens medical staff shortages and doctors’ emigration, while government health spending falls below constitutional requirements, jeopardising the future of healthcare for poorer groups.
Recommended reading: Development versus Demolition: How the Government Sacrificed Citizens for Roads
Refugees and Citizenship
“Disguised Deportation” of Syrian Refugees amid Extensive Security Campaigns
Ten human rights organisations warned of a policy of “disguised deportation” targeting Syrian refugees through random detention campaigns. January saw intensive operations in 10th of Ramadan City, October City, Alexandria and Hurghada, stopping young people because their residence permits had expired or they were not carrying UNHCR’s “yellow card.”
Nour Khalil of Refugees Platform said politicisation of asylum and difficult administrative regularisation procedures had forced thousands of refugees into irregular status.
UNHCR Egypt told Zawia3 it was aware of recent reports of Syrian individuals being stopped and detained in several Egyptian cities and was monitoring developments closely. It said it was working with Egyptian authorities to ensure legal procedures were followed and people potentially needing international protection were treated according to international standards.
UNHCR communications officer Christine Beshay said its interventions for Syrians were based on its December 2024 position on returns to the Syrian Arab Republic, which recommends that states refrain from forced returns and urges against forcibly returning Syrian nationals or former habitual residents.
Recommended reading: Syrian Refugees in Egypt: Deportation and Detention without Warning
Between Deportations and Repatriating Bodies: A Harsh Toll for Egyptians on Libya’s Migration Routes
Ambassador Haddad El-Gohary, Assistant Foreign Minister for Consular Affairs and Egyptians Abroad, disclosed alarming statistics reflecting the tragedy faced by Egyptians in Libya. In eastern Libya, Benghazi and Tobruk, consular efforts resulted in deportation of more than 1,800 Egyptians and repatriation of 163 bodies, most recently victims of a boat sinking last July. In western Libya, Tripoli, 1,344 Egyptians were deported, 1,157 released from detention centres and 253 bodies repatriated.
Refugees Platform in Egypt presented a darker picture on the ground. Since 2023, it has received a continuing flow of distress reports concerning missing, kidnapped and detained Egyptians, including minors, on irregular migration routes in Libya. It described the increase in complaints during 2024 and 2025 as “rapid and alarming,” indicating growing human trafficking networks and deteriorating security conditions whose cost is borne by Egyptian migrants.
Yemeni Students Denied Their Right to Education
Refugees Platform in Egypt reported that more than 6,000 Yemeni students were denied education after schools run by Arab and Yemeni communities were closed without genuine alternatives to ensure continuity. Thousands of children were left out of school and facing an educational vacuum threatening their futures, without transitional plans or meaningful integration into public or private education.
Christian Holiday Leave: A Ministerial Decision Deepens Sectarian Divisions
The Labour Minister’s decision to define Christian holidays by denomination drew sharp criticism from the Catholic and Evangelical churches.
MP Freddy El-Bayady told Zawia3 that dividing holidays along sectarian lines threatens equal citizenship. He pledged to question the minister and seek unified holidays for all Christians without denominational discrimination.
Women and Children
“Plundered Pensions”: How Guardianship Is Used to Steal the Rights of Children with Disabilities
A joint Zawia3 and ARIJ investigation exposed a guardianship law loophole allowing fathers to use their disabled children’s names to obtain customs-exempt cars, automatically cancelling the child’s Karama pension. It shows how mothers with custody lose access to their children’s financial rights because custody is separated from legal guardianship, which remains with the father even when he acts obstructively.
Manal Hanafy, head of the Social Solidarity Ministry’s Central Department for Development and Investment and former head of its Central Department for Persons with Disabilities, said the person entitled to use a child’s Integrated Services Card is the legal guardian, rather than simply the custodial parent. The guardian is responsible for obtaining the card, using it and receiving services on the child’s behalf.
Human rights lawyer Entesar El-Saeed, director of the Cairo Foundation for Development and Law, said separation of custody from guardianship is a central problem in Egypt, creating fierce disputes between mothers and fathers’ families and entrenching discrimination against mothers, who do not automatically receive guardianship after the father’s death.
Read the investigation: Pensions Plundered in the Name of the Law: Children with Disabilities as Victims of Guardianship in Egypt
Domestic Violence and Parliamentary Representation: Mockery and Stereotyping
Feminist organisations documented a wave of mockery and stereotyping directed at women MPs in the new parliament, describing it as symbolic violence intended to undermine women’s participation.
They also called for domestic violence to be recognised as an offence prosecutable in the public interest following rising killings and torture of women and children. They demanded amendment of Penal Code Article 60, which provides perpetrators cover under the supposed “right to discipline.”
