Egyptian authorities have imprisoned well-known publisher and political activist Hisham Kassem on charges of slander and verbal assault, according to multiple media reports on Wednesday, August 23. Kassem is the leader of the political group al-Tayar al-Hurr (the free current), formed in June this year, which plans to support an opposition presidential candidate running against President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in the upcoming elections next year. El-Sisi is widely expected to run for re-election for a third term.
Kassem was reportedly first detained on Sunday and then again on Monday before being sent to prison while awaiting trial on allegations of defamation, scheduled on September 2. Following his initial arrest on Sunday, he was charged with “libel and slander” against former Labor Minister Kamal Abu Elita for allegedly defamatory posts on Facebook. Kassem had also posted about the recent arrest, disappearance, and eventual release of a journalist who had written about a plane seized in Zambia with guns, gold, cash and a number of Egyptian officials onboard. In another post, he had said, “I am more honorable than Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and all his men and his regime.” The public prosecution agreed to release Kassem on Monday on a bail of 5,000 Egyptian pounds (USD 165). When he refused to pay, he was detained the next day and slapped with additional charges of “insulting police officers.”
Kassem’s lawyer Nasser Amin told news outlets that the swiftness with which the case has been brought to trial, before a ruling on a request for bail, was unusual for the charges brought against him. His arrest has been called out by several human rights activists and groups as well. One activist noted that “it was very clear from the beginning it was a means to nail him and crush the opposition, especially after his recent political activities and daring posts on social media about the regime.”
Samar Elhusseini from the Egyptian Human Rights Forum denounced the arrest saying that “Hisham Kassem has become the target of a widespread defamation campaign by state-affiliated channels since his appointment as Chairman of the Free Liberal Current. He is a vocal political dissident who speaks out against corruption, repression and failed economic policies that have led to a severe economic crisis in the country.”
In a separate development, Ahmed Gamal Ziada, a journalist whose father was also detained, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, “Today noon, my father Gamal Abdul Hamid Ziada appeared in the State Security Prosecution, and the Prosecution filed charges against him in Case No. 2064 of 2023, Supreme State Security, accusing him of misuse of communication, spreading false news, and joining a banned group.”
According to Ziada, his father runs a clothing workshop and all his social media posts are related to his work. He added that his father’s arrest was “nothing but suppression of journalistic work. It is an immoral targeting of my family.”
The situation of basic human rights and civil liberties, including freedom of speech and expression and the press, has been on the decline in Egypt since President el-Sisi took over power in a military coup against the democratically elected government under President Mohammed Morsi in 2013. His regime has unleashed a massive crackdown against its critics and dissidents. Around 60,000 people, including activists, lawyers, writers, bloggers, journalists, and opposition figures, have been thrown in prison. Rights groups have also criticized the severe mistreatment, abuse, torture, and deliberate neglect by prison authorities which has led to several custodial deaths.
