Ahead of the World Press Freedom Day on May 3, 78 journalists submitted a memorandum Tuesday to the Journalists Syndicate calling for intensified efforts to secure the release of imprisoned journalists in Egypt.
According to a copy seen by Al Manassa, the signatories warned that shrinking public space, blocked access to information, and prosecutions of journalists and opinion writers have driven the profession into decline. They cited worsening economic and social conditions, lack of job security, and collapsing wages.
“The submission of the memo comes at a time when freedom of expression is witnessing a major crisis and restrictions,” Hadeer El-Mahdawy, journalist and one of the signatories, told Al Manassa. She said the syndicate’s established history of defending free expression requires broader action now, adding that World Press Freedom Day should serve as an occasion “to defend the core of the profession, which requires opening public space and ensuring that no one is prosecuted for expressing their opinion.”
Syndicate head Khaled Elbalshy asserted the syndicate’s “firm stance” against imprisonment in publishing cases and demands for an end to the issue, in comments to Al Manassa.
“Over the past period, the syndicate has submitted multiple requests for the release of those detained and has hosted their families on several occasions, most recently during the past month of Ramadan,” he said.
Listed demands in the memorandum include the release of all those imprisoned in cases of opinion, “whether they are syndicate-affiliated journalists, non-syndicate journalists, or citizens who expressed their opinions through any available means, such as the poet Ahmed Douma and those detained against the backdrop of solidarity with Palestine, especially since these individuals specifically expressed opinions aligned with the positions of the Journalists Syndicate and the state itself,” El-Mahdawy said.
According to the memo, 18 journalists remain in detention, some of whom have exceeded the maximum limit for pretrial detention.
Elbalshy noted that while most cases are now on trial, this “does not negate the Syndicate's right to demand the release of those who have exceeded the legal limits of pretrial detention; in fact, the syndicate believes their release is mandatory.” The syndicate has already petitioned the Public Prosecutor to release those held over two years, guaranteeing their court appearances.
He stressed that “the syndicate defends both syndicate and non-syndicate journalists whenever it is proven they are practicing journalistic and professional work,” acting both for the profession and for free expression as a “public right.”
Building on a January 2025 memorandum, Elbalshy called for laws banning imprisonment in publishing cases and ensuring the free circulation of information as fundamental guarantees for press freedom.
The detained journalists include Ahmed Subaie, Hamdy Al-Zaeem, Medhat Ramadan, Ahmed Abu Zeid, Mohamed Saeed Fahmy, Mostafa El-Khatib, Tawfik Ghanem, Badr Mohamed Badr, Karim Ibrahim, Mohamed Abu El-Maati, Ahmed El-Tokhy, Abdullah Samir, Mahmoud Saad Diab, Yasser Abu El-Ela, Ramadan Goweida, Khaled Mamdouh, Ashraf Omar, and Safaa El-Korbiji.
