A Cairo criminal court has rejected a defense motion to release Marwa Arafa, an activist and translator, at the opening session of her first trial after more than five years in pretrial detention on terrorism-related charges.
The court, part of Egypt’s First Terrorism Circuit, declined to grant her bail and instead postponed proceedings until Oct. 18 to give judges time to review the case files. Marwa will remain in custody alongside other co-defendants until then, human rights lawyer Islam Salama told Al Manassa.
The initial hearing, held Sunday, focused mainly on procedural matters. Defendants were brought into the courtroom and formally informed of the charges, but none were permitted to speak, Salama said.
On Dec. 28, Egypt’s Supreme State Security Prosecution referred Arafa and 39 others to trial in Case No. 1018 of 2024, a case that includes accusations of joining and financing a terrorist group.
Arrested in 2020, Marwa was detained due to her work supporting families of political detainees by providing them with food and clothing, according to the Revolutionary Socialists’ Facebook page.
Throughout her pretrial incarceration, local and international rights organizations have repeatedly demanded Marwa’s immediate release, with the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) noting that Egyptian law sets a two-year limit on pretrial detention—which Marwa exceeded by more than three years.
EIPR further criticized the authorities’ failure to respond to two petitions filed by Marwa’s mother requesting better detention conditions and access to work and education opportunities, which are guaranteed under Egyptian law.
“Her pretrial detention has effectively turned into indefinite imprisonment,” EIPR said, adding there was no sign of when or how it might end.
