Egypt’s Supreme State Security Prosecution has ordered the continued detention of several new defendants, including trainee lawyer Seif Mamdouh Ahmed, for 15 days pending investigation. They are accused of hanging banners in solidarity with Gaza in public spaces, including the steps of Cairo University, according to the Egyptian Front for Human Rights.
The incident dates back to May 4, and the rights group said the detainees—at least eight young people, including university students—are being held in State Security case No. 3862 of 2025. The prosecution has indicted them with the usual charges in such cases, notably “joining a terrorist group” and “spreading false news.”
More than 20 days after his arrest at his office in the Matariya district, several human rights organizations—among them El-Shehab for Human Rights and Justice for Human Rights—demanded to know the whereabouts of Seif Mamdouh and called for his immediate release. They criticized the Lawyers Syndicate's silence, describing it as a failure to defend one of its members and protect the dignity of the legal profession.
The arrests are part of a broader crackdown on Egyptians who have expressed solidarity with Gaza since Israel launched its assault in October 2023. According to data from the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights/EIPR, at least 186 individuals have been arrested in 16 separate cases presented to the State Security Prosecution. Charges stem from peaceful activities, such as demonstrating, raising banners, or participating in humanitarian relief efforts.
EIPR warned that the latest case marks a dangerous shift, suggesting that the crackdown now threatens not just those expressing solidarity but also their social circles. As of June 2025, 150 individuals remain in pretrial detention across 12 open cases—among them three minors under 18 years old.
EIPR has previously documented cases where people were detained for showing support for Palestine, some of whom were later released on bail or let go without further investigation after facing lesser, non-terrorism-related, charges, such as unlawful assembly.
EIPR renewed its call for the general prosecutor Mohamed Shawky to immediately release those arbitrarily detained for supporting Palestine, to drop all charges, and to close all related cases. The group emphasized that the Egyptian authorities are constitutionally and legally obligated to uphold citizens’ right to peaceful political expression, whether to show solidarity with the Palestinian people or to condemn Israeli crimes in the genocidal war in Gaza—a position that presumably aligns with Egypt’s official declared stance on the Palestinian issue.
On March 18, the Israel occupation army resumed its assault on Gaza, reigniting a war that began on Oct. 7, 2023, after it rejected the continuation of a ceasefire agreement that had gone into effect on Jan. 19. That deal was supposed to culminate in an exchange of prisoners and a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
