The Supreme State Security Prosecution (SSSP) Office renewed the detention of 32 Shia Muslims on 26 and 27 July, bringing the total number of individuals arrested in recent weeks, the majority of whom are Egyptian citizens, to 36. All defendants were charged under the Terrorism Law in Case No. 5635 of 2026 (Supreme State Security). 

These developments came just days after the President of the Republic’s speech marking the 74th anniversary of the July 1952 Revolution, in which he highlighted the current administration’s achievements, citing “the consolidation of freedom of belief and the establishment of places of worship”.

During the renewal hearings, several detainees informed prosecutors that they suffer from chronic illnesses and had not received their prescribed medication since their arrest. Some requested examination by specialist physicians. The EIPR lawyer, who is a member of the defense team, submitted a formal request to the Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme State Security Prosecution demanding that the detainees be granted access to medical treatment and physical and psychological examinations.

Security forces arrested the defendants as part of a campaign that began on 22 June and targeted Shia Muslims in Cairo. The campaign coincided with the commemoration of Ashura. One detainee has since been granted release pending investigation, while the remaining 35 remain in pretrial detention.

EIPR condemned the security campaign, emphasizing that individuals were targeted solely on the basis of their religious beliefs. In addition to violating their constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of belief –a right for which no individual should be targeted, prosecuted, detained, or otherwise deprived of liberty;– security forces also violated constitutional protections of due process rights. The detainees were held in an undisclosed location for three weeks without access to their families or lawyers before finally being presented to the Supreme State Security Prosecution.

EIPR further condemned  the course of the interrogations, which focused almost exclusively on examining the detainees’ personal religious beliefs. Questions centered on  their religious convictions and practices, the differences among various Shia sects, their views on the Prophet’s companions and family, and differences between Sunni and Shia calls to prayer.

Among those detained is journalist and Shia activist Haider Kandil, who was previously arrested in December 2019 and subjected to enforced disappearance for three months before spending an additional five months in pretrial detention. Shia activist Amr Abdullah was also rearrested; he was previously detained near the Al-Hussein Mosque in Cairo during the commemoration of Ashura in 2014 and later sentenced to five years in prison on charges of “contempt of religion”. The Supreme State Security Prosecution charged Kandil with leading and financing a terrorist group, while the remaining detainees in the case face charges of belonging to a terrorist group.

EIPR warns against the Egyptian government’s policy of penalizing individuals for their religious beliefs The current crackdown has escalated since 2025, targeting a broad spectrum of people, including atheists, irreligionists, and those holding non-conforming religious views or expressing intellectual or religious questions online. EIPR has documented the arrest of at least 95 individuals since the beginning of last year as part of this unlawful campaign. Although some have since been released, security agencies and the Public Prosecution continue to pursue and detain more individuals on similar grounds.