The Arab Foundation for Civil Society and Human Rights condemns the arrest of researcher and journalist Ismail Al-Iskandarani and his referral to the State Security Prosecution on Thursday, September 25, which ordered his detention for 15 days pending investigation into Case No. 6469 of 2025. He faces a number of familiar charges, including “spreading false news” and “joining a terrorist group.”
Al-Iskandarani was arrested at dawn on Friday, September 24, 2025, based on an arrest warrant issued by the Supreme State Security Prosecution, which was issued based on investigations by the National Security Sector. He was stopped at a checkpoint in Matrouh upon his return from Siwa based on this arrest warrant, and was then transferred to the National Security in Abbassia and from there to the State Security Prosecution in Cairo.
The prosecution questioned him over 17 posts he published on social media related to his positions on a number of current human rights cases. In recent posts by Al-Iskandarani, he spoke about the release of seven out of forty fishermen, including one man who died in prison after being accused of fishing in military zones or without proper licenses Praising the decisions to release them, he called on security officials to quickly coordinate between public administrations in Cairo and the governorates to ensure the defendants’ swift release before they encounter problems within police stations, which could lead some of them to be “recycled” and remain in prison for years, without any guilt.
The case against Iskandarani also includes other defendants, including Sinai activist Saeed Ateeq, who was arrested earlier this month and detained by the State Security Prosecution for 15 days after criticizing businessman Ibrahim al-Arjani, head of the Sinai Tribes Union.
Al-Iskandarani had previously been sentenced to seven years in prison in Case No. 18 of 2018, North Cairo Military Felonies. On December 4, 2022, authorities released Al-Iskandarani after serving his sentence.
This coincides with the summons of activist Ahmed Douma in a new case. Douma received a summons from the Supreme State Security Prosecution for an investigation session on Monday, September 29, 2025, in a new case, the sixth he has faced in recent months, following five consecutive summonses in publishing, opinion, or creativity cases.
At the end of last July, State Security released Doma on bail of 50,000 Egyptian pounds, after more than seven hours of investigation, on the basis of Facebook posts, accusing him of “spreading false news, disturbing the public peace, and casting doubt on state institutions.” He had been released on the same charges in April, on bail of 10,000 Egyptian pounds, and in November, on bail of 20,000 Egyptian pounds, following a presidential pardon.
The Arab Foundation asserts that this is a continuation of the trend of arresting activists on charges related to freedom of opinion and expression, coinciding with the fourth anniversary of the issuance of the National Strategy for Human Rights. It also contradicts what the President of the Republic indicated regarding the need to respect freedom of the media.
This also comes as a negative signal, contradicting the presidential pardon issued for activist Alaa Abdel Fattah after 10 years of imprisonment, and the referral of the draft Criminal Procedures Law to the House of Representatives for further discussion. The Foundation calls on the Egyptian authorities to release “Alexandrani” and respect freedom of opinion and expression enshrined in the constitution.
