Human rights lawyer Khaled Ali has filed an official complaint with Egypt’s Public Prosecutor, demanding an urgent investigation into the physical and verbal assault of detained opposition figure Yehia Hussein Abdel Hady inside Badr Terrorism Court.
The complaint, registered under petition No. 1412282, accuses a police officer of attacking Abdel Hady on Sept. 16, moments after a hearing in Case No. 8197/2025. Ali called for the officer to be barred from contact with detainees pending investigation.
In a detailed Facebook post, Ali claimed Abdel Hady was beaten and insulted inside the courthouse detention area, away from his defense team's view. The assault reportedly followed a session in one of several open cases he faces in criminal and State Security terrorism courts.
“He was physically and verbally assaulted by a police officer inside the Badr court building, which lies within the Badr Correctional and Rehabilitation Center,” Ali wrote.
According to Ali, Abdel Hady’s lawyers learned of the attack only after his family reported it during a prison visit. Abdel Hady had notified prison officials upon returning to 10th of Ramadan Prison, but no complaint was documented, and prosecutors have yet to take his testimony.
Ali denounced the assault as a flagrant abuse of authority, citing Article 129 of Egypt’s Penal Code, which criminalizes acts by public officials that cause physical harm or humiliation, punishable by up to one year in prison or a 200-pound fine.
In July 2024, Khaled Ali had reported that Abdel Hady was kidnapped while en route to an event hosted by the then-fledgling Hope Current Party. According to Dr. Abdel Galil Mostafa, former coordinator of the National Association for Change, who was with him at the time, plainclothes security personnel intercepted their car, and forcibly took Abdel Hady to an undisclosed location.
Just hours before his abduction, Abdel Hady had published a searing Facebook post criticizing Egypt’s military leadership, “How long will the army remain silent? The country is drowning in failure, corruption, and scandal, and most Egyptians are suffering,” the post read.
A retired military officer and founder of the Civil Democratic Movement, Abdel Hady now faces charges of joining a terrorist group, spreading false news, inciting terrorism, and misusing social media, accusations routinely weaponized against political dissidents.
He is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday as his trial continues at Badr.
On Nov. 22, 2024, Abdel Hady had suffered a heart attack in detention and spent four days in intensive care. His defense team requested his release due to his deteriorating health, after he suffered a second cardiac episode in January 2025.
