The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) has condemned what it described as a "brutal wave of arrests" targeting followers of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light, a minority religious group.
In a statement issued Friday, the group said the arrests began on March 8 and remain ongoing. More than 15 people have reportedly been arbitrarily detained and subjected to torture and enforced disappearance before reappearing at the Supreme State Security Prosecution.
They now face charges of joining a group established in violation of the constitution and law, and have been remanded in custody pending investigations in case No. 2020 of 2025.
The crackdown began when "a member of the sect put up a banner promoting a television channel affiliated with the group on a footbridge in Giza in early March," EIPR reported.
The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light is a contemporary movement founded by Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan in 1999. Followers believe he is the prophesied Yamani and messenger of the awaited Imam Mahdi, sent to guide people back to God and establish justice in the end times.
However, several Sunni Islamic institutions, including Egypt's Al-Azhar-affiliated Islamic Research Academy, do not consider Ahmadis to be Muslims.
In 2010, two Ahmadi mosques in Lahore, Pakistan, were targeted in simultaneous suicide attacks during Friday prayers. The bombings, claimed separately by Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, killed 80 people and injured hundreds.
EIPR, working with Amnesty International, documented at least four cases of arbitrary detention in relation to the sect between March 8 and 14. According to a joint statement, the individuals were targeted for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of religion and belief.
Among the detained are two Syrian brothers registered as asylum seekers with the UNHCR. Security forces have reportedly raided homes in three different governorates, with three of the four detainees later subjected to enforced disappearance.
EIPR and Amnesty have urged the Egyptian government to halt "the arbitrary arrest, detention, disappearance and intimidation of the sect members." They also criticized authorities for ignoring appeals to prevent the deportation of asylum seeker Ahmed Al-Tanawi.
The campaign has widened since, with 15 individuals now detained, including the owner of the print shop that produced the controversial banner.
Egypt has a long record of restricting religious freedom, particularly for non-Abrahamic groups and non-believers. An example thereof is the Baha'i community, which faces systemic exclusion from legal recognition, with consequences that extend into daily life.
"Freedom of religion and belief is absolute and protected by Egypt's Constitution and international human rights treaties, which form part of the country’s legal framework," EIPR said, citing Article 93 of the constitution.
It also noted that Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights protects all beliefs, including monotheistic, non-monotheistic and atheistic views, and prohibits coercion that infringes on the freedom to adopt or renounce a religion. This includes threats of physical force or legal punishment.
Such government practices "run counter to Egypt’s own commitments to religious freedom," EIPR added. "This includes the president’s pledge made during the launch of the National Human Rights Strategy to respect the right not to believe, even in non-Abrahamic faiths."
Detainees reportedly described torture and other inhumane treatment during their interrogations. According to EIPR, they were "subjected to physical abuse, coercion, denial of adequate food and medical care, and incitement by fellow inmates inside detention facilities."
The group stressed that torture and other degrading treatment are strictly prohibited, constitute crimes that are not subject to a statute of limitations, and are illegal under both Egyptian and international law.
At 10th of Ramadan Prison Complex, detainees reported harsh conditions, including food shortages, mistreatment, a refusal to accept money transfers from relatives, threats from other inmates, and restrictions on family visits.
EIPR called for the immediate release of all detainees linked to the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light and the dismissal of charges against them. The group also urged authorities to investigate the alleged abuses and rights violations.
