Based on documented information submitted by the EFHR, a group of UN experts issued an official communication to the Egyptian government on 24 December 2025 (Ref. AL EGY 8/2025), expressing grave concern over the arrest of at dozens of individuals during and after peaceful demonstrations in October 2023 in solidarity with the Palestine cause. The experts warned that the use of counter-terrorism and public order legislation to suppress peaceful expression and civic engagement constitutes serious violations of Egypt’s obligations under international human rights law
The communication was signed by six UN Special Procedures mandate holders, including the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism; the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention; the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances; the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967.
The communication stated that security forces carried out a wide arrest campaign between 20 and 25 October 2023 in Cairo, Alexandria, and other governorates, targeting individuals who were participating in, observing, or present near peaceful demonstrations. At least 88 individuals were arrested, 67 of whom were placed in pre-trial detention, while several were subjected to enforced disappearance for periods ranging from two to five days. The cases were brought before the Supreme State Security Prosecution (SSSP) under terrorism-related charges, including “joining a terrorist group” and “participating in an illegal assembly.”
The experts expressed serious concern that these arrests appear to be directly linked to the peaceful exercise of the rights to freedom of expression, assembly, and association. They stressed that criminalizing expressions of solidarity or participation in peaceful protests through broadly framed terrorism charges violates the principles of legality, necessity, and proportionality under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Egypt is a party.
In particular, the communication highlighted the cases of Mohamed Selim and Omar Ghazy, both arrested in Alexandria on 20 October 2023 during peaceful demonstrations. According to the information received, both men were subjected to enforced disappearance for two days before being brought before the Supreme State Security Prosecution (SSSP) on 22 October 2023. They were charged under case No. 2469/2023 with joining a terrorist group and participating in an illegal assembly, and they remain in pre-trial detention.
Particular concern was raised regarding allegations of enforced disappearance, prolonged and non-individualized pre-trial detention, and denial of access to legal counsel. The experts further noted that detainees held in the 10th of Ramadan Prison reportedly face overcrowding, poor sanitation, inadequate medical care, and restricted access to lawyers and families—conditions that may amount to inhuman or degrading treatment.
In conclusion, the UN experts requested detailed clarification from the Egyptian government regarding the legal basis for the arrests and continued detention, the safeguards in place to prevent enforced disappearance, the conditions of detention, and the compatibility of counter-terrorism legislation with Egypt’s international human rights obligations. They further urged the authorities to take all necessary interim measures to prevent irreparable harm to those detained, to investigate the alleged violations, and to ensure accountability where abuses are substantiated.