The undersigned human rights organizations condemn the Egyptian authorities’ arrest of economist Abdel Khalek Farouk (67 years old) from his home on Sunday evening, October 20, 2024. We call for his immediate release and the dropping of all charges against him, holding the Egyptian authorities responsible for his personal safety, especially following restrictions placed on his access to necessary medications and treatments.
The undersigned organizations observed that Farouk’s arrest involved a search of his home, seizure of documents, book drafts, and electronic devices—including laptops and mobile phones belonging to him and his wife. He was initially detained in an undisclosed location, reappearing the following day before the Supreme State Security Prosecution, which ordered his continued detention pending investigation and transferred him to 10th of Ramadan Prison.
According to his defense lawyers, Farouk was interrogated for over six hours and faced broad accusations, including ” joining a terrorist group, spreading false and inciting news and information against the state and its leaders, and misusing social media.” The investigation cited 40 articles in which he criticized Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and the country’s economic policies. Additionally, he was questioned about all his writings, including books, articles, research, and social media posts from recent years.
Farouk was presented again to the Supreme State Security Prosecution on October 29, 2024, where his detention was extended. During the investigation, Farouk requested to see a kidney and urology specialist for his health condition, as shared by his wife on his personal page.
Farouk was previously arrested on October 21, 2018, detained at the Shorouk City police station, and charged with possessing and distributing publications containing “false information” due to his book, Is Egypt Really a Poor Country? He was released on October 29 of that same year.
Two days before his recent arrest, Farouk published a series of articles on his personal page titled “The Theft of the Century,” in which he criticized Egypt’s economic policies, the New Administrative Capital project, and certain businessmen close to the regime. Some article titles included “The Administrative Capital… A Model of Massive Plunder of State Resources” and “Al-Argani… The Backdoor to Presidential Corruption.”
In his latest interview with ZatMisr, Farouk criticized government economic policies, stating there was no clear framework for prioritizing projects other than personal agendas. He held Egypt’s political leadership responsible for economic mismanagement and deteriorating conditions, criticizing the misuse of loans for unproductive projects.
The Egyptian regime continues to target writers, journalists, and political figures for their peaceful expression, keeping journalists and activists in pretrial detention, casting doubt on the effectiveness of the National Dialogue, launched over two years ago, and the National Human Rights Strategy, initiated more than three years ago.
In July, security forces detained journalist Khaled Mamdouh, cartoonist Ashraf Omar of Al-Manassa, and re-arrested Yahya Hussein Abdel Hadi, co-founder of the Civil Democratic Movement. They joined journalist Yasser Aboul Ela, who was detained in March 2024, forcibly disappeared, and later resurfaced at the Supreme State Security Prosecution facing charges of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news. During his trial, Aboul Ela stated that he had been held in a National Security facility for over 50 days, where he endured various forms of physical and psychological torture and coercion. The Freedoms Committee of the Egyptian Journalists’ Syndicate also condemned the re-arrest of journalist Ahmed Bayoumi on September 16, 2024 describing the renewed arrests of journalists as a setback to recent pledges to release those in pretrial detention and a marked escalation in the security crackdown against journalists in recent months.
The undersigned organizations urge Egyptian authorities to release Abdel Khalek Farouk and other prisoners of conscience immediately, cease the harassment of journalists and activists, and end the misuse of Law on Terrorist Entities, Penal Code, and Cybercrime Law.
Signed Human Rights Organizations:
- REDWORD for Human Rights and Freedom of Expression
- Women for Justice Foundation ( WJF)
- HuMENA for Human Rights and Civic Engagement
- Egyptian Human Rights Forum (EHRF)
- Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF)
- PEN Canada – Writers in Exile
- Egyptian Front for Human Rights (EFHR)