Egypt’s Supreme State Security Prosecution renewed the detention of 12 followers of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light on Sunday, extending their pre-trial incarceration by 15 days on the charge of "joining a group established in violation of the constitution and the law."
This comes a day after the same prosecution body renewed the detention of four others in the same case no. 2025/2025, according to Mohamed Elhelw, legal unit director at the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF).
Speaking to Al Manassa, Elhelw said the detainees on this case face common issues Egyptian prisoners generally experience, but added that some are encountering other complications.
“Some need proof of detention to retain their jobs,” he said. He also noted that the detainees are being held together in a solitary ward at 10th of Ramadan Prison.
According to a statement by ECRF, those detained include Omar Mahmoud Abdel Meguid Mohamed, Hamdy Abdel Azim El-Sayed Abdallah, Fady Mohamed Hassan El-Nahhas, and Hazem Said Mohamed El-Moaatamad—facing charges identical to those brought against the other group.
On Friday, the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) condemned what it described as "brutal wave of arrests" targeting followers of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light. The crackdown reportedly began on March 8 and is still ongoing.
The group said it had documented the arbitrary arrest of more than 15 people, some of whom were allegedly subjected to torture and enforced disappearance for varying periods before appearing before the Supreme State Security Prosecution. All of them were charged with joining a group in violation of the constitution and law, and detained under investigation in case no. 2020/2025.
In a joint statement with Amnesty International, the Egyptian Initiative reported at least four instances of arbitrary detention between March 8 and 14, allegedly in response to the peaceful expression of religious belief.
The organizations have urged the Egyptian government to halt "the arbitrary arrest, detention, disappearance and intimidation of the sect members."
The joint statement also criticized the Egyptian government for ignoring appeals to prevent the deportation of asylum seeker Ahmed Al-Tanawi, noting the escalation of "targeted abuses."
The crackdown began when "a member of the sect put up a banner promoting a television channel affiliated with the group on a footbridge in Giza in early March," EIPR reported.
"Freedom of religion and belief is absolute and protected by Egypt's Constitution and international human rights treaties, which form part of the country’s legal framework," EIPR said, citing Article 93 of the constitution.
It also noted that Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights protects all beliefs, including monotheistic, non-monotheistic and atheistic views, and prohibits coercion that infringes on the freedom to adopt or renounce a religion. This includes threats of physical force or legal punishment.
EIPR stressed that these ongoing practices run counter to Egypt’s stated commitments to protect religious freedom, including a public declaration by the president in support of belief and non-belief rights, even in non-Abrahamic faiths.
