Egypt’s Supreme State Security Prosecution on Monday renewed the pre-trial detention of filmmaker and screenwriter Omar Salah Marei for 15 days for the ninth time, keeping him in custody over charges linked to publishing and freedom of expression, his family announced in a statement.
Marei, who was arrested on May 11, has spent more than 100 days in detention away from his family and work. The latest ruling extends his detention under Case No. 3383 of 2026 (Supreme State Security), according to a statement posted on Facebook by his wife, Nora El-Sayed.
Human rights lawyer Khaled Ali previously told Al Manassa that Marei’s defense team repeatedly demanded his release during earlier renewal hearings.
Ali stated that the defense argued the legal grounds for pre-trial detention were non-existent and that holding him in custody is unlawful. Because authorities charge Marei with publishing false news domestically, Article 71, Para. 2 of the Egyptian Constitution strictly prohibits his imprisonment.
Article 71 explicitly states: “No custodial penalty shall be imposed for offenses committed by means of publication or publicity.”
In their statement, Marei’s family renewed grave concerns regarding his deteriorating health. Defense lawyers have filed multiple requests demanding necessary medical examinations and blood work.
Marei requires follow-up care for his left hand following surgery, ongoing physical therapy, and thyroid function tests to adjust his medication dosages.
The family stated that authorities have failed to adequately address these medical requests. They urged officials to allow a vascular specialist to evaluate persistent swelling in Marei's hand, complete his medical follow-ups, and permit a psychiatrist to manage his psychiatric medication regimen.
Highlighting that pre-trial detention serves as a procedural necessity for investigation rather than a punishment in itself, the family questioned whether the repeated 15-day extensions have effectively converted his detention into a pre-verdict sentence.
They based their position on several provisions of the Egyptian Constitution, including Article 65, which guarantees freedom of thought and expression; Article 71, which prohibits prison sentences for publication offenses; and Article 67, which enshrines the presumption of innocence.
“Every new renewal decision means another 15 days of Omar’s life spent away from us, another 15 days of waiting and absence,” the family said, noting that they have lived in hope that each session would be the last since his arrest.
They demanded his immediate release, an end to his pre-trial detention, the ability to defend himself outside of custody, and immediate access to necessary medical care.
Human rights organizations, public figures, artists, and writers have previously called for Marei’s release, framing his case within broader concerns over the state's routine use of pre-trial detention to suppress free speech.
According to the international rights group ARTICLE 19, Marei’s detention falls within a broader context of growing restrictions on artistic expression and freedom of speech in Egypt.
In a statement issued late last May, the organization condemned the systematic targeting of artists and creators through broad, standard charges: a practice Egyptian authorities have utilized for over a decade to incarcerate dissidents, journalists, and artists through prolonged pre-trial detention or trials lacking fair-trial guarantees.
ARTICLE 19 highlighted a recent wave of judicial and security prosecutions targeting cultural figures.
These include Al Manassa cartoonist Ashraf Omar, whose trial before the Cairo Criminal Court was recently adjourned for a second time until Oct. 12 on charges of “funding terrorism,” as well as activist and poet Ahmed Douma, who was sentenced on June 3 to one year in prison with hard labor and immediate execution for “publishing false news, alongside dozens of journalists and activists.
