Egypt’s Journalists Syndicate called for the immediate release of all detained journalists, including Al Manassa cartoonist Ashraf Omar, whose arrest last year drew international condemnation.
In a statement issued on Tuesday The Syndicate’s Freedoms Committee urged President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to issue a presidential pardon for journalists convicted in politically charged cases and reiterated demands to free those held in pretrial detention for expressing solidarity with Palestine. These calls come amid a broader campaign to release individuals imprisoned for peaceful expression, including protest and humanitarian activism.
According to data from the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), 186 people have been arrested since October 2023 in connection with pro-Palestinian activities. Many face charges under Egypt’s expansive counterterrorism laws, which critics say are routinely used to silence opposition.
Ashraf Omar was arrested on July 22, 2024, in a nighttime raid by plainclothes security forces. He was blindfolded, handcuffed, and forcibly disappeared for two days. He later appeared before the State Security Prosecution to face accusations of spreading false news, misusing social media, and joining a banned organization. Omar remains in pretrial detention.
Eman Ouf, head of the Freedoms Committee, warned that prolonged detention is taking a severe toll on journalists’ mental and physical health, as well as on their families. “Their children live in fear and uncertainty,” she said, “and the psychological damage is profound.”
EJS President Khaled Elbalshy has formally petitioned the president, the public prosecutor, and the National Council for Human Rights to release over 19 journalists, including Mohamed Oxygen and Hussein Karim. Fourteen of those listed have been held for more than two years, well beyond the legal limit for pretrial detention under Article 143 of Egypt’s Criminal Procedure Code.
The Syndicate argues that freeing these journalists is not only a legal imperative but a necessary step toward meaningful media reform. “Emptying prisons of journalists,” Ouf stated, “is the foundation for any serious dialogue about the future of Egyptian journalism.”
