Egypt’s Supreme State Security Prosecution has charged the spokesperson for Toson residents in East Alexandria resisting forced evictions with joining and financing a terrorist organization.
Abdallah Mohamed also faces accusations of spreading false news and misusing social media platforms, according to Islam Salama, a lawyer with the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR). Mohamed was detained for 15 days after appearing before prosecutors Saturday night, two days after his initial arrest.
Plainclothes officers took Mohamed last Thursday from his workplace at the Bavaria Egypt branch in Borg El-Arab, rights lawyer Mohamed Ramadan had told Al Manassa.
His arrest came as Toson residents intensified opposition to the government’s expansion of Alexandria’s new ring road. This project would demolish hundreds of homes and religious sites along a 23-kilometer stretch, displacing thousands of families.
In April, the Alexandria governor created a committee led by the head of Montazah II district, joined by military engineers and state land authorities, to map properties marked for demolition.
Residents organize frustrations
On Sept. 2, residents met publicly with a team of lawyers to explore legal options to block the demolitions. The next day, posters appeared on homes declaring refusal to vacate, only to be torn down by men in civilian clothes.
Ramadan told Al Manassa that a government expropriation decree targets 260 homes, four mosques, and one church in a single district of more than 5,000 residents.
Residents emphasize that their homes are legally tied to utilities—electricity, gas, water, sewage, and telephone lines—and many have reconciliation permits for past building violations. Supported by this, the Toson legal team is preparing to appeal the decree.
Residents also commissioned an independent engineering firm that identified a feasible rerouting plan to avoid residential zones. Petitions outlining this plan were sent to the presidency, prime minister, transport minister, and Alexandria governor.
A residents’ delegation and their defense lawyer later met with Transport and Industry Minister Kamel Al-Wazir, who reportedly promised to review the proposal with the governor.
