Twenty-three human rights groups have called on Egyptian authorities to drop all charges and in absentia sentences against publisher Hisham Kassem, urging an end to what they describe as retaliatory legal actions against him. They also want to ensure that any legal proceedings are not used as tools of political revenge.
Kassem, the former chair of the Egyptian liberal coalition Free Current, was sentenced in absentia on May 14 by the Cairo Economic Court. He received six months in prison with labor and a 20,000 Egyptian pound (about $399) fine in a new case initiated by former Minister of Manpower Nahed Ashry, according to his lawyer, Nasser Amin, speaking to Al Manassa.
The court found him guilty of insulting and disturbing Ashry, over a Facebook post in which Kassem allegedly accused her of embezzling public funds during her time in office.
The court also ordered him to pay a temporary civil compensation of 40,000 pounds (around $798) to Ashry and set bail at 5,000 pounds (around $100) to suspend the sentence pending appeal.
This is the second sentence against Kassem related to his public commentary on former officials. In September 2023, he was sentenced to six months for allegedly defaming former Minister Kamal Abu Eita and verbally assaulting police officers at Sayyida Zeinab police station.
In the latest case, the Economic Affairs Prosecution referred Kassem to trial on March 30, accusing him of defaming Ashry in a Facebook post in which he claimed she had embezzled public funds during her time in office.
The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights previously condemned this renewed prosecution, highlighting it as part of a pattern of politically motivated charges that had already led to Kassem's imprisonment.
In a joint statement, the 23 rights organizations said that “the recent absentia verdict against politician Hisham Kassem reinforces growing pattern of transnational repression targeting exiled dissidents.”
The groups warned that Egypt's persistent use of defamation and vaguely defined charges like “disturbing public peace” are being weaponized to suppress free expression—even when limited to online criticism.
The statement added that authorities are seeking to deter Kassem and others from addressing sensitive economic and political issues, including “the military’s dominance over the economy, the president’s control of the political scene, and the exclusion of independent voices from public discourse.”
“This climate has led to the erosion of the rule of law and the entrenchment of corruption,” it added.
The organizations described these prosecutions as a representation of a new dimension in the ongoing crackdown on dissent, “aiming to intimidate not only those within Egypt but also political opponents and exiles abroad.”
In connection with the case, Kassem announced in February that he had left Egypt and would not return until the current political regime changes. From abroad, he intends to establish a new opposition party, “Al Nida' Al Hur” (The Free Call).
The statement called for the immediate release of all those imprisoned for their peaceful political expression and demanded reforms to Egypt's broad and punitive legal framework, including the anti-terrorism, protest, penal, assembly, and cybercrime laws.
The signatories further urged Egypt's international partners to pressure the government to comply with its obligations under international human rights law, particularly the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Signatories include the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms, El Nadim Center, Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, Gulf Centre for Human Rights, and the Egyptian Front for Human Rights.
