State Security Prosecution Releases Ammar Ali Hassan on EGP 20,000 Bail
The Supreme State Security Prosecution ordered the release of Dr. Ammar Ali Hassan on bail set at EGP 20,000 on December 15, after he was charged with spreading false news and statements.
Earlier, the writer and researcher in political sociology, Dr. Ammar Ali Hassan, stated that he had received a summons from the Supreme State Security Prosecution in the form of a “legal notice” for the purpose of questioning him in connection with an ongoing investigation in Case No. 10204 of 2025.
Hassan noted that he informed journalist Khaled El-Balshy, Head of the Journalists’ Syndicate, of the summons, given his membership in the syndicate. He also indicated that he would notify Dr. Alaa Abdel Hadi, President of the Egyptian Writers’ Union, as he is also a member of the union, explaining that this is a customary procedure followed by writers and journalists who receive such summonses.
Dr. Ammar Ali Hassan had recently criticized the press statement issued following a Cabinet meeting discussing legal mechanisms to strengthen efforts to combat rumors and false news. In his remarks, he wrote:
“Where is the punishment for those who withhold information from the people, as stipulated by the Constitution? Most rumors are the result of the darkness in which you operate.”
Over 20,000 Enforced Disappearances and 1,266 Deaths in Prisons from 2013 to 2025
On the occasion of International Human Rights Day on December 10, 2025, the report “Harvest of Injustice” issued by Human Rights Egypt revealed an extensive and alarming documentation of human rights violations in Egypt from mid-2013 through the end of 2025.
The report’s statistics show the vast scale of violations, with the total number of victims of enforced disappearance exceeding 20,000 individuals, while deaths in detention facilities surpassed 1,200 cases.
Enforced disappearance topped the list of violations, with figures indicating a total of 20,344 disappeared persons since June 30, 2013, including 1,333 cases documented in 2025 alone up to October 30.
The report also documented a surge in the issuance and execution of mass death sentences against political prisoners, totaling 1,613 death sentences, of which 105 have been carried out. The organization highlighted a particularly dangerous escalation in death penalty rulings during 2024 across various cases.
National Council for Human Rights Report Notes Prison Violations and Restrictions on Journalists
On Sunday, December 14, the National Council for Human Rights released its 18th annual report on the human rights situation from July 2024 to June 2025. The report pointed to what it described as “progress in legislation, presidential pardons, and economic rights,” while acknowledging “ongoing challenges in public freedoms and criminal justice.”
The report appeared to seek a “balanced image,” praising new legislation such as the Criminal Procedure Law and laws regulating asylum and labor, as well as presidential pardon decisions, while admitting the need for further reforms.
It implicitly acknowledged “serious challenges,” including deaths in detention facilities, citing the case of Mahmoud Mika, who died in Khalifa Police Station in March amid conflicting accounts and allegations of torture and medical neglect. The Council called for a serious and transparent investigation.
The report recommended amending Article 126 of the Penal Code to redefine torture in line with international conventions and noted receiving over 200 complaints of torture and ill-treatment in detention facilities.
Workers at Mefco Helwan Threatened with Dismissal After Demanding Minimum Wage
Workers at Mefco Helwan Furniture Company said on Wednesday, December 10, that the management issued dismissal warnings to around 20 workers for alleged absenteeism, despite previously barring them from entering the company after they filed complaints with the Labor Office over the company’s refusal to apply the minimum wage. Average wages reportedly stand at EGP 3,600.
Labor inspectors visited the company in November, filed a report against management, and held negotiations that ended with a promise to apply the minimum wage—yet the promise was not fulfilled
Nursing Staff at Aswan University Hospital File Complaints Over Financial Entitlements
The Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms condemned what it described as “serious financial and administrative violations” against nursing staff at Aswan University Hospitals.
The Commission reported receiving documented complaints regarding the non-payment of compensation for Fridays and official holidays since November 2024, in violation of Civil Service Law No. 81 of 2016, as well as unpaid entitlements related to Egypt’s Universal Health Insurance System.
It also criticized the low medical risk allowance, reportedly no more than EGP 50 per day, calling for immediate payment of all outstanding dues and a transparent investigation by the Ministry of Higher Education and Aswan University.
New Wave of Protests by Cairo Drinking Water Company Workers
A new wave of labor protests erupted at Cairo’s Drinking Water and Sanitation Company on Thursday, December 11, demanding payment of delayed allowances since 2016, increased benefits, permanent contracts for temporary workers, and qualification adjustments.
Workers protested at several facilities, chanting slogans and demanding the dismissal of senior officials
earning up to EGP 150,000 monthly, while most workers earn no more than EGP 5,800.
“Al-Bawaba News” Journalists Protest Unpaid Salaries; Management Cuts Internet Access
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Journalists at Al-Bwaba News held a protest on December 16 in front of the Journalists’ Syndicate, protesting the non-payment of November salaries amid an ongoing sit-in demanding implementation of the minimum wage.
The crisis escalated after management cut internet access on December 14, which journalists described as a blatant violation of press freedom and an act of retaliation. Journalists accused management of selectively paying some staff while punishing those participating in the sit-in.
Journalists’ Syndicate head Khaled El-Balshy described the situation as unacceptable and warned that
cutting internet access constitutes a criminal offense under Egyptian law
Khaled El-Balshy Criticizes Government Move to Increase Fines for “Rumor Crimes
During its December 10 meeting, the Cabinet discussed strengthening mechanisms to combat rumors and false news and tasked the Ministry of Justice with drafting amendments to increase fines for such offenses.
Journalists’ Syndicate head Khaled El-Balshy criticized the move, arguing that the government chose the “wrong path” by focusing on penalties rather than guaranteeing access to information, warning that
excessive fines could lead to indirect imprisonment and the closure of newspapers
Rights Report Criticizes Use of “Family Values” to Target Poor and Women
The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights released a report titled “Disciplining Society”, documenting the use of “family values” laws to prosecute poor people and women since April 2020.
The report documented at least 327 arrests in 252 cases, highlighting class and gender bias and criticizing the vague wording of Article 25 of the Cybercrime Law.
Engineers’ Syndicate Elections: One Political Current Dominates Oversight Commit
Tensions are rising within the Engineers’ Syndicate following objections to the formation of the elections oversight committee, which many engineers see as biased toward a single political current linked to the Future of the Nation Party.
Candidates warned of “early election engineering,” expressing concern that the committee’s composition threatens neutrality and fairness, prompting calls for an extraordinary general assembly to restructure the committee.
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