Political dissident Ahmed Tantawy was released on Wednesday after completing a one-year sentence in the “popular endorsements” case.
He returned to his home in Kafr El-Sheikh, but remains barred from exercising his political rights, as stipulated by the court ruling against him.
Tantawy, a former MP and founding figure of the nascent Hope Current party, had been convicted in what became known as the “popular endorsements” case. He and his campaign members were found guilty in November 2023 of possessing and circulating election-related materials without prior approval from the National Election Authority.
The charges fall under Article 65 of Egypt's political rights law, which mandates a minimum one-year prison term and a fine of no less than 1,000 Egyptian pounds (around $20) and no more than 5,000 ($100), or one of the two penalties.
The same law stipulates a five-year suspension of political rights from the date of conviction, unless the person is granted legal rehabilitation or the sentence is suspended—neither of which applies in Tantawy's case, as all his appeals for a stay of execution were rejected.
His release came a full day behind schedule. According to a certificate obtained by his lawyers from the East Cairo Prosecution, the end of his sentence was set at noon on Tuesday, his lawyer, Ahmed Qenawy, told Al Manassa.
On Wednesday morning, Tantawy's brother, Hazem, told Al Manassa that he had been waiting for his release since early dawn outside the 10th of Ramadan Correctional and Rehabilitation Center. He personally witnessed his brother leaving the prison at 7am in a police transport van.
While the prison administration confirmed Tantawy's release, the transfer division at the Sharqiya Security Directorate, which oversees the prison, denied receiving him. His whereabouts remained unknown until Qenawy confirmed his arrival at his home in Kafr El-Sheikh later that evening.
Tantawy's sentence included hard labor and was accompanied by a five-year ban from parliamentary candidacy. Additionally, Article 2 of the same law imposes a temporary ban on political rights for anyone convicted of electoral offenses unless their sentence is overturned, or they are legally rehabilitated.
“The ruling does not strip him of the right to lead a political party or run for presidency,” said Qenawy, emphasizing that the restrictions should apply only to parliamentary elections. He added that electoral crimes like Tantawy's do not typically fall under the legal category of “moral turpitude,” which would disqualify a presidential candidate.
Nonetheless, legal ambiguities remain. Egypt's presidential election law bars anyone previously convicted of a felony or of crimes related to honor or trustworthiness, even if rehabilitated. Tantawy's appeal to halt the verdict had been rejected by all three levels of Egypt's judiciary, including the Court of Cassation, which issued the final ruling in December 2024.
In October 2024, while still incarcerated, Tantawy announced plans to establish the Hope Current Party, describing it as a peaceful political platform for his supporters. “We've committed ourselves to the constitutional and legal path, even during the most difficult times,” he said in a statement at the time.
According to Qenawy, the law's vagueness leaves room for authorities to interpret the ruling in ways that could hinder Tantawy's political future. “There is always the possibility of a broader interpretation that extends the impact of the verdict,” he said.
Tantawy's conviction was upheld by three judicial bodies—a misdemeanors court, a misdemeanors court of appeal, and the Court of Cassation—which rejected his defense team's argument that his actions did not meet the legal criteria for printing or circulating official electoral materials.
According to lawyer Khaled Ali, who previously spoke to Al Manassa, the defense clarified to the court that the forms involved were candidate-related documents, akin to birth certificates or medical reports, and not materials officially used in the electoral process.
