On Sunday, an Egyptian criminal court renewed the pretrial detention of prominent labor leader Shady Mohamed and five others for 45 days, despite Mohamed exceeding the legal limit for pretrial custody and suffering from a severe, untreated shoulder injury, his lawyer Sarah Rabie told Al Manassa.
Speaking via videolink from Borg El-Arab prison in Alexandria, Mohamed appealed directly to the presiding judge, describing the rapid deterioration of his physical health, Rabie, an attorney with the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) told Al Manassa.
Mohamed detailed the severe injury to his left shoulder, adding that prison authorities have repeatedly blocked him from receiving an MRI scan to diagnose the damage and determine the necessary treatment, despite numerous official requests.
In response, the judge instructed Mohamed’s defense team to submit a new petition during the hearing. The judge endorsed the request and forwarded it to the prison administration, urging them to expedite the scan and treatment, Rabie said, adding that the defense is now awaiting the administration’s response.
Mohamed faces severe physical distress in Borg El-Arab prison, where the injury has left him completely unable to move his left arm. Prison physicians and fellow detainees who are doctors suspect he has a ruptured shoulder tendon, a condition requiring an immediate MRI scan. His family has accused prison officials of deliberate medical neglect and stalling tactics.
Salwa Rashid, Mohamed’s wife, expressed frustration over the swiftness of her husband’s detention renewal compared to the administrative stalling over his medical care.
“We don’t know what we are expected to do for anyone to pay attention to us,” Rashid told Al Manassa, noting that EIPR attorney Islam Salama had filed a petition with the Supreme State Security Prosecution (SSSP) 40 days ago which went unanswered, followed by a second request more than a week ago that was similarly ignored.
“Shady is a textile worker whose livelihood depends entirely on physical labor. His arm, which he has been unable to move for 40 days without anyone checking on him, is his only asset,” she said.
The delays triggered a social media campaign on Facebook, launched by activists last week, calling for medical examinations and the immediate release of Mohamed and his co-defendants on the grounds that they have exceeded the statutory limits for pretrial detention.
Prominent leftist activist Kamal Khalil joined the online campaign, writing: “Shady’s right to treatment; freedom for every prisoner.” Human rights attorney Mohamed Ramadan posted: “Their treatment is their right; save Shady Mohamed.”
Elham Eidarous, co-founder of the Bread and Freedom Party (currently in formation), also criticized the conditions of his detention online.
“For three months, Shady has been in pain with a suspected torn shoulder tendon, and they refuse to even perform a scan to diagnose his condition, even though he likely needs surgery,” Eidarous wrote.
“Isn’t it enough that he has been unjustly imprisoned for over two years for a Palestine banner that was not even hung up? Isn’t it enough that his family is suffering without him? No, they must also harm our bodies.”
Sunday’s decision was issued by the Cairo Criminal Court’s Second Terrorism Circuit, meeting at the Badr Security Complex, in connection with the SSSP Case No. 1644 of 2024, according to Rabie. The case is known in the media as the “Palestine Support Banner” case.
Mohamed and his five co-defendants have spent two years and three months in pretrial detention, surpassing the maximum period permitted under Egyptian law. They were arrested in connection with their peaceful activism in support of the Palestinian cause during the ongoing Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip.
The case dates back to April 29, 2024, when security forces arrested Mohamed outside his home in Alexandria, a day after five other young men were detained for attempting to hang a solidarity banner on a bridge. Although the SSSP has released detainees in similar cases since October 2025, including activists from the “Egyptian Sumud flotilla” case, Mohamed and his co-defendants remain in custody.
On Jan. 29, 2025, Mohamed staged a complete hunger strike that lasted more than four weeks to protest his arbitrary transfer from the 10th of Ramadan 6 prison to Borg El-Arab, where he was stripped of his personal belongings. He ended the strike only after a widespread solidarity campaign led to improved prison conditions.
Prior to his arrest, Mohamed was a prominent independent union leader at the Linen Group textile company in the Amreya Free Zone. He was arbitrarily dismissed in 2019 after participating in labor protests demanding better wages.
