Families of political prisoners and those held in extended pretrial detention gathered in downtown Cairo on Friday evening to call for their release during a solidarity event that combined artistic performances with personal testimonies.
The event, held under the slogan "They belong among us," took place at the Conservative Party headquarters in Cairo. It was organized by the family of political activist Alaa Abdel Fattah in collaboration with the families of other political prisoners.
The gathering went ahead despite the presence of plainclothes police stationed nearby. Among the attendees were journalists, rights advocates, politicians and relatives of detainees, responding to an invitation posted on Facebook earlier this week by academic and activist Laila Soueif, Abdel Fattah's mother.
The evening opened with a moving visual presentation highlighting the pain and disruption suffered by families. In one segment, Wafaa Hefny, mother of detained translator Marwa Arafa, recounted the circumstances of her daughter's 2020 arrest, when security forces stormed their home while Arafa was tending to her two-year-old daughter.
Marwa has remained in pretrial detention ever since, facing charges of “broadcasting false news” and “joining a terrorist group” under case 570/2020. According to Hefny, the detention has exceeded Egypt’s legal maximum without referral to trial. Meanwhile, Arafa's daughter, who has autism spectrum disorder, continues to grow up without her mother.
The presentation also featured statements from the families of political prisoners including Alaa Abdel Fattah, cartoonist Ashraf Omar, former MP Ahmed Tantawy, April 6 Youth Movement spokesperson Mohamed Adel, and several young men held without trial or forcibly disappeared for years.
A video message from Jihad Khaled, daughter of detained human rights lawyer and former National Council for Human Rights member Hoda Abdelmonem, was also played. Although Abdelmonem completed a five-year prison sentence, she remains in detention on new charges. Despite suffering from serious health conditions, including pulmonary embolism and kidney failure, courts have repeatedly denied her release.
To whom it may concern
In her speech, Laila Soueif stressed the need for the immediate release of all prisoners of conscience and those held in pretrial detention. "We won't stay silent. This case won't disappear without a real solution," she said.
She emphasized the power of public support, stating that solidarity keeps their voices heard.
"Don't give up. Surrendering to defeat makes it permanent. Keep fighting, and we will celebrate together one day," she added.
Academic Laila Soueif and her daughter Sanaa Seif during the “They Belong Among Us” conference. May 16, 2025.Laila also acknowledged the suffering of other families, particularly those of forcibly disappeared individuals. "Despite everything, I know where my son is and what his status is. Others don’t. Some mothers don’t know where their children are. That’s the real pain."
Addressing authorities, Laila said she usually prefers speaking to people rather than states but felt compelled to deliver the message that the issue would not disappear without a resolution.
"Families have had enough. They're not afraid anymore—not for themselves but for their children. We're now a country of 100 million who are no longer afraid of prison," she said.
"This is a crisis of justice, not a case of individuals. Piecemeal solutions are no longer enough. What good is it if one person walks free, broken because fifty of their friends are still locked up? The justice system is collapsing before our eyes, but the circles of solidarity grow each day," she continued.
Laila warned that Egypt risks repeating the fates of other repressive regimes. "When Syria opened its prisons, the truth came out. We're not far from that. But here, people are starting to understand, and resistance is growing."
Last Thursday, Laila Soueif submitted two new requests to the public prosecutor calling for the release of her son, who has completed the prison sentence he began serving on September 28, 2022. His sister, Sanaa Seif, also filed a request for a presidential pardon.
According to rights lawyer Khaled Ali, Abdel Fattah should have been freed in September 2024, but the authorities have refused to count his pretrial detention period toward the sentence, contrary to Egypt’s penal code.
Letters of hope behind bars
One room at the venue was dedicated to writing letters to the political prisoners. Guests sat around tables, composing handwritten messages of solidarity and longing, affirming the right to freedom and insisting that absence does not mean erasure.
Supporters of political prisoners write messages of solidarity during the “They Belong Among Us” conference. May 16, 2025.In a nearby room, supporters stood among laundry lines strung with the clothes of the political prisoners. Large bags of additional garments rested nearby, evoking the overcrowded conditions inside Egypt’s prisons.
Human rights lawyer Mahienour El-Massry opened the event with remarks on the harsh conditions faced by political prisoners, highlighting Mohamed Adel’s ongoing hunger strike. Adel began the strike to demand his right to sit for university exams. “Today is the 16th day of Adel’s strike,” she said. “All he’s asking for is to take his exams, even though his detention term has ended.”
Mohamed, a former spokesperson for the April 6 Youth Movement, was denied the chance to take his law diploma exams this semester—for the second time. Authorities had previously prevented him from sitting his first-term exams as well.
"Strong states don't imprison their youth," said El-Massry. "Strong states listen to all voices."
"Let us breathe"
In her speech, journalist and media spokesperson for the "Tayar Al-Amal" (Hope Current) party (under establishment) Rasha Qandeel expressed full solidarity with the prisoners' families, especially Laila Soueif. She praised Laila's resilience in confronting repressive policies.
"This is not just about individual names anymore. We're talking about tens of thousands jailed for expressing opinions or defending causes," she said. "All we want is to live in a safe country with space to breathe and basic dignity."
A screen displays messages by families of political prisoners during the “They Belong Among Us” conference. May 16, 2025.Qandeel called on the authorities to end the crackdown. "Let Alaa Abdel Fattah go. Let Tantawy start his party. Let Khaled Ali practice law. Let Rasha Azab work as a journalist. Let Mohamed Massad be an engineer again. Let us breathe, let us live."
Tantawy is expected to be released on May 27 after serving time over the "popular authorizations" case, in which he and his campaign manager Mohamed Abu Al-Diyar were convicted of circulating election-related papers without official approval.
However, rights groups fear he may remain in custody in connection with two new cases — Nos. 2468/2023 and 2635/2023 — involving charges of inciting protests and committing terrorist acts. Courts ordered his release in both cases in late April.
"They Belong Among Us"
Rofayda Hamdy dedicated her remarks to her husband, Mohamed Adel, and saluted Laila Soueif’s strength. She said Adel had entered the 16th day of his hunger strike, protesting being barred from exams despite having exceeded the legal pretrial detention limit.
Rofayda recounted that in December 2024, Adel was denied entry to first-semester exams, prompting him to go on a hunger strike, for which he was punished with a transfer to a high-security prison.
"Adel has been imprisoned for 12 years over his political views, without any terrorism or violence charges," she said. "I'm not seeking confrontation with the state. I'm presenting a human case."
She renewed her appeal to President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi for her husband’s release. "If we truly care about this country and want it to be stable, then its free people don’t belong in prison."
The 'crime' of solidarity with Palestine
The mother of student Ali Mohamed, detained for participating in a pro-Palestine demonstration, said her son was acting in line with Egypt’s official stance by protesting the genocide in Gaza.
"Ali committed no crime or act of violence or corruption. He was expressing an opinion like thousands of others. But he was forcibly disappeared for nine days, then brought before the Supreme State Security Prosecution and jailed in Badr Prison."
She condemned the authorities' intransigence in refusing to release her son, despite the loss of his academic future. She said the accusation of 'joining a terrorist group' was baseless, asking, "How can standing up for the Palestinian cause be treated as a crime or an act of terrorism?"
The absence of justice
Addressing the lack of justice and legal paralysis in the case of cartoonist Ashraf Omar, his wife Nada Mougheeth criticized the state’s ongoing disregard for calls to release him and other prisoners of conscience. “We’re exhausted from submitting petitions and statements to official bodies, and from repeatedly appealing for respect of the law,” she said. “Today’s reality leaves no room for hope — or for the law.”
Clothes and photos of detainees displayed during the “They Belong Among Us” conference. May 16, 2025.Moghith stressed the need to stay the course and continue demanding the release of all detainees, despite the state’s intransigence. “Families now fully understand that justice is absent. Yet, attempts at dialogue with the authorities remain necessary, even under such bleak circumstances.”
She added that prisoners have moved beyond fear behind bars and become more politically aware and vocal. “The authorities themselves are turning them into political symbols — and history will remember that.”
She closed with a message of hope and resistance: “Despite the difficult moments and the sense of defeat, standing beside Dr. Laila Soueif and the families of detainees gives us strength to go on. We are not defeated so long as we meet and support each other.”
Ashraf Omar has been held in pretrial detention since July 22, 2024, after plainclothes security forces arrested him at his residence. He remains detained under case no. 1968/2024, facing charges of joining a terrorist group with knowledge of its aims, spreading false news and rumors, and misusing social media.
His satirical work has tackled issues such as Egypt’s power outages and mounting debt. During interrogation, prosecutors questioned him about published cartoons and unpublished sketches found in his possession.
His wife, Nada, was also arrested on January 16, 2025. She was later released on bail of 5,000 Egyptian pounds (around $100) after being accused by the Supreme State Security Prosecution of “joining a terrorist group” and “spreading false news” — charges connected to a media interview she gave.
Endless suffering
Lawyer Nourhan Hassan recounted her family's agony since the 2019 disappearance of her brother Ahmed Hassan. Their mother, she said, has endured ongoing emotional trauma. "She hasn't slept in a bed since the day he was taken. She says: How can I sleep when I don't know where my son is or how he's sleeping?"
Their brother, journalist Mohamed Hassan, added that some detainees said they had seen Ahmed inside National Security headquarters. "They recognized him from his clothes. Yet the authorities still deny he's there."
Sami El-Gendy's mother also called for her son's release, saying, "Free our sons. Enough pain. This isn't just a demand; it's a cry in the face of a system that tortures mothers and robs young people of their lives."
El-Gendy was arrested in October 2024 after his home was raided in Cairo's Helwan district. Lawyer Mahienour El-Massry described him on social media as a "committed young man who deeply loves his country."
The event concluded with remarks from Mohamed Torky, lawyer and media spokesperson for the Conservative Party. He reiterated the call for the release of all prisoners of conscience.
"Disagreements are normal. People argue and debate. That’s no reason for the state to imprison us. We're disrespected abroad because we are humiliated at home," Torky said.
