Egypt’s State Security Prosecution released writer and political sociology researcher Ammar Ali Hassan on Monday on 20,000 Egyptian pound ($400) bail pending investigation into allegations of spreading false news, his lawyers said.
The prosecutor ordered Hassan’s release in connection with accusations of “publishing false news that could disturb public security and harm the country’s interests at home and abroad,” following a complaint filed by the Ministry of Transport on Dec. 9, lawyers told Al Manassa.
Human rights lawyer Nasser Amin said the investigation lasted about six hours, from 11:30 am. to 5 pm. The case, he said, stemmed from a formal complaint submitted by the head of legal affairs at the ministry’s central administration, targeting Hassan over a post on his Facebook page about a bridge being reinforced with “wooden planks.”
The prosecution also confronted Hassan with a memo from the Interior Ministry’s National Security Sector that listed that and other posts reflecting Hassan’s views, ideas, and writings from September to December. He said Hassan was questioned about all of them during the session.
Human rights lawyer Khaled Ali said, “Ammar told investigators he shared the image at the time because it was widely circulated and because the Ministry of Transport did not issue any official denial for three days, despite having a media office, which led him to believe it was accurate.”
Ali said Hassan deleted the image as soon as he learned it might be inaccurate or from outside Egypt, arguing that removing it showed good faith. He said the ministry filed its complaint months after the post.
The National Security memo referred to posts by Hassan which described the education system as failing, discussed the old rent law, the landlord-tenant relationship and its impact on social peace, and the Matrouh train accident. Ali said those posts appeared in the memo’s context and were not the subject of a direct complaint.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, Hassan said he had received a summons from the State Security Prosecution to appear on Monday in an ongoing case, No. 10204/2025, without being told the case’s subject or the reason for the summons.
Hassan, a member of the Civil Democratic Movement’s board of trustees, said the notice he received was labeled a “legal notice,” but did not state whether he would appear as a witness or a defendant.
He said he consulted lawyers Nasser Amin, Khaled Ali and Ibrahim El-Ezzab, adding that they weighed what they expected against their understanding of how such cases typically proceed.
The political sociologist also informed Journalists Syndicate head Khaled Elbalshy in his capacity as a syndicate member and Alaa Abdel Hadi, the head of the Writers’ Union, as a union member.
The Civil Democratic Movement called on Egyptian authorities to halt what it described as a pattern of targeting national opposition forces, saying it was increasing political tensions in the country.
The movement urged authorities to “open the public sphere” and stop, in its words, stifling legitimate political avenues for public participation and for presenting alternative policies and ideas through lawful means.
Egypt’s Civil Democratic Movement is a coalition of liberal and leftist political parties and figures formed in 2017, aiming to promote a civil state, counter religious influence, and challenge the ruling regime.
Hassan is a journalist, political sociology researcher and novelist, and a regular contributor to Al Manassa, where he publishes a twice-monthly column. His latest article was published in Arabic on Saturday under the title “A parliament defined by invalidity.” He has published studies on political sociology, social movements and political thought in Egypt and the Arab world.
