An Egyptian terrorism court on Tuesday renewed the pretrial detention of labor organizer Shady Mohamed and five others for 45 days in a case linked to a banner displayed in solidarity with Palestine, a lawyer with the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) said.
The court, convening at the Badr security complex, extended the detention in Case No. 1644 of 2024, known in local media as the “Palestine banner” case, lawyer Islam Salama told Al Manassa.
Mohamed and the five others have spent about 20 months in pretrial detention since their arrests in late April, 2024. Mohamed was detained on April 29 outside his home, a day after the other five were arrested from their homes in Alexandria, Salama said. All six were brought before the Supreme State Security Prosecution at the end of that month.
Investigations at the time focused on their hanging of a banner atop a bridge in Alexandria to express solidarity with Palestine.
The Supreme State Security Prosecution later charged Shady Mohamed with “founding a terrorist group,” in addition to the charges brought against the five, namely “joining a terrorist group, publishing false news, disturbing public order, and participating in a gathering intended to disrupt public order.”
Salama said Mohamed and Youssef Yasser Farouk attended Tuesday’s session by video link from Borg El Arab Prison, while the other four defendants, held at 10th of Ramadan 6 Prison, also appeared remotely.
The defense renewed its request for the defendants’ release, arguing that there is no evidence supporting the accusations and that the investigation has stalled, Salama told Al Manassa. Lawyers also argued that displaying a banner in solidarity with Gaza did not constitute a criminal act and caused no harm or disruption, contrary to the charges.
Shady Mohamed began a total hunger strike on Jan. 29 last year, protesting his “transfer” from 10th of Ramadan 6 Prison to Borg El Arab Prison, and the confiscation of his belongings, before ending the strike more than four weeks later after his treatment improved following a broad solidarity campaign.
Shady Mohamed was a leader in the independent union of workers at Linen Group for furnishings and textiles in the Amreya free zone, before he was arbitrarily dismissed from the company in 2019 in connection with his participation in workers’ protests for improved wages.
He was previously arrested on Oct. 3, 2022, from inside a company bus at the textiles firm, and was brought before the Dekheila Prosecution in Alexandria, which ordered his pretrial detention in Case No. 10233 of 2022 on charges of “joining a terrorist group, and publishing false news.” He was held at Borg El Arab Prison before the attorney general for West Alexandria ordered his release on Oct. 24, 2022.
Last June, the Supreme State Security Prosecution ordered the pretrial detention of new defendants, including trainee lawyer Seif Mamdouh Ahmed, for 15 days, more than a month after their arrest on accusations related to raising solidarity signs with the Gaza Strip in public places, including the steps of Cairo University, in an incident dating to May 4, 2025.
Since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza in October 2023, arrest campaigns have targeted many people who expressed solidarity with the Palestinian cause. According to statistics from the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), security forces arrested 186 people in 16 different cases before the Supreme State Security Prosecution in connection with peaceful activities that included protesting, raising signs, or contributing to relief efforts.
EIPR said the campaign took a more dangerous turn with the most recent case, as the threat was no longer limited to those expressing support for Palestine, but expanded to include their social circles. The Initiative said 150 people remained in detention in 12 open cases through June 2025, including three children arrested while still under 18.
