An Egyptian terrorism court has extended the pretrial detention of prominent labor organizer Shady Mohamed and five others for an additional 45 days, more than 18 months after their arrest for displaying a banner in solidarity with Palestine.
The six men have been detained since April 2024 in connection with Case No. 1644/2024, and became widely known as the “Palestine Banner” detainees after allegedly hanging a sign in support of Gaza on a bridge in Alexandria.
Islam Salama, a lawyer with the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, told Al Manassa that the Second Terrorism Circuit of the Cairo Criminal Court issued the latest decision on Monday during a video hearing streamed from Badr Prison.
Shady, a veteran labor leader, was arrested on April 29, 2024, one day after the other five activists were taken from their homes in Alexandria. All were interrogated by the Supreme State Security Prosecution on April 30.
According to prosecutors, Shady faces charges of “founding a terrorist organization,” while the other five are accused of “joining a terrorist group, spreading false news, disturbing public order, and participating in an unlawful assembly.”
“The courtroom was packed, and none of the detainees had a chance to speak,” Salama explained to Al Manassa. “All they did was hang a banner expressing solidarity with Gaza and the Palestinian people,” he said He emphasizing that the charges were baseless.
“Not all hopes are reflected in reality. It's natural to wish for his release, but reality is something else,” Shady's wife, Salwa Rashid, expressed her dismay in a Facebook post after the ruling.
Salwa pointed out that nearly two dozen detainees in similar cases had recently been released, making the court's decision feel like a cruel regression. “We've said a thousand times that their imprisonment is unjust and shameful. Many have pointed out that it contradicts the state’s official stance on Palestine. So after the ceasefire, why are they still behind bars?”
On Oct. 6, the Public Prosecution released 38 detainees in State Security cases, including several held over pro-Palestine activism. A week later, on Oct. 13, three members of the Egyptian Sumud Flotilla to Gaza were also freed on bail after being arrested outside the campaign’s Cairo headquarters following a protest.
Shady formerly led the independent union at the Linen Group textile factory in Alexandria and was fired in 2019 after organizing labor protests. He also co-founded the Alexandria Permanent Workers Conference.
In October 2022, Shady was detained from a company bus and held for weeks under charges of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news, before being released by the Alexandria Prosecution.
While held in Borg El Arab Prison in January 2025, Mohamed began a hunger strike to protest being transferred and his belongings confiscated. Prison authorities initially denied he was there, sparking a campaign of solidarity by political parties, labor organizations, and human rights groups.
He ended the strike after more than four weeks, following improvements in his treatment, according to his wife.
Since Israel's genocide in Gaza began in October 2023, Egyptian authorities have arrested at least 186 people in 16 State Security cases, according to EIPR numbers. Those arrested were targeted for peaceful expressions of solidarity, including protests, sign-holding, and relief efforts.
