Summary:

1. Death sentence for 1 defendant and life imprisonment for 2 others in the case known in the media as the “Second Nusra Front Cell” case.
2. Investigation of 4 citizens in Sharqia after their reappearance following various periods of enforced disappearance.
3. Release of 9 citizens after finishing the procedures of their release and approval by the National Security Agency.
4. Renewing the detention of researcher Ismail al-Iskandarani, researcher Hani Sobhi, and others pending investigations by the Supreme State Security Prosecution.
5. Ministry of interior grants an exceptional visit to prisons to commemorate International Human Rights Day.
6. Citizen Ibrahim Ahmed Abdel Rahman died inside Gamassa Prison after his health deterioration.

Details

I.                Prosecution Investigations:

• Supreme State Security Prosecution:

During the bulletin’s coverage period; State Security Prosecution investigates dozens of citizens, who reappeared following varying periods of enforced disappearance, under the Anti-Terrorism Law and remanded in custody.

• Public Prosecution:

Wednesday, 3 December

• Zagazig Total Prosecution in Sharqia investigated 3 citizens after arresting them from their homes and accusing them of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news and statements then placing them in pretrial detention. They are Abu Bakr Muhammad Saad, Hamza Muhammad Abdel Moneim, and Ahmed El-Sayed Hassan..

Wednesday, 7 December

1. Zagazig Total Prosecution in Sharqia investigated Abdo Ali Abdo after arresting him from his home and putting him in 32 days enforced disappearance, and then accused him of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news and statements placing him in pretrial detention.

II.             Detention Renewal:

Sunday, 30 November

• The Supreme State Security prosecution renewed the detention of Hani researcher Sobhi for 15 days pending Case No. 7143 of 2025, Supreme State Security, and investigative researcher Ismail al-Iskandarani for 15 days in Case No. 6469 of 2025, both on charges of joining a group established in violation of the law and the constitution.

Monday, 1 December

• The Supreme State Security Prosecution renewed the detention of both Mohamed Adel Mabrouk in Case No. 6181 of 2025, and Mohamed Mohsen Zaki in Case No. 7136 of 2025, for 15 days, on charges of joining a terrorist group and publishing false news and statements.
• Zagazig Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber, held at 10 of Ramadan Prison in Sharqia decided to overturn the precautionary release order for 4 individuals and ordered their continued pretrial detention for 45 days.

III.           Release:

Thursday, 4 December

1. Security forces at 10^th of Ramadan Police Station in Sharqia released Mustafa Ayoub after completing the necessary procedures and receiving clearance from National Security.
2. Security forces at Menia al-Qamh Police Station released 7 citizens after receiving clearance from National Security and completing the necessary procedures. They are Abdel-Khaleq al-Sayyad, El-Sayed Fathi, Mahmoud Abdel-Aziz al-Sinan, Ahmed Saad Saqr, Mohamed Fawzi, Mohamed Hassan Balah, and Alaa Mohamed.

Saturday, 6 December

1. Security forces at Zagazig Police Station in Sharqia released Mahmoud Mohamed Suleiman after completing the necessary procedures and receiving clearance from National Security.

IV.          Trials:

Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chambers I, held in Badr Prison reviewed 5 cases over 1 day and decided the following:

Saturday, 6 December

• Postponing the retrial of 56 defendants, in Case No. 2739 of 2021, State Security, known in the media as the case of the Administrative Structure of the Muslim Brotherhood.
• Postponing the retrial of 68 defendant, in Case No. 68– 1540 of 2022, State Security, known in the media as the case of Specialized Committees Cell.
• Postponing the retrial of 63 defendants, in Case No. 2121 of 2021, State Security, known in the media as the case of the Administrative Structure.
• Postponing the retrial of 60 defendants, in Case No. 2175 of 2021, State Security, known in the media as the case of Sharqia ISIS Cell.
• Postponing the retrial of 43 defendants, in Case No. 1093 of 2022, State Security, known in the media as the case of the Specialized Operations Cell.

V.             Judicial Rulings:

Saturday, 6 December

• Cairo Criminal Court, Terrorism Chamber-I, held in Badr Prison sentenced 1 defendant to death and 2 others to life imprisonment in Case No. 387 of 2024, State Security Felonies, known in the media as the 2^nd Al-Nusra Front Cell Case.

VI.          Statements and Information:

Monday, 1 December

1. Ministry of interior grants an exceptional visit to prisons from December 13, 2025, until January 6, 2026, to commemorate International Human Rights Day.

VII.        Prison News:

Monday, 5 December

• Ibrahim Ahmed Abdel Rahman, a citizen sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in the case known in the media as the Ismailia Courts Complex fire, died at Gamassa Prison after his health deteriorated and he suffered a gallbladder obstruction due to a cancerous tumor.

Legal Comment

The death of citizen Ibrahim Ahmed Abdel Rahman, sentenced to 15 years of hard labour inside Gamassa Prison, due to a malignant tumor, is a serious example of the continued medical negligence within detention facilities.

This highlights a dangerous gap between the letter of the law and the application, which in many cases leads to tragic outcomes, including death.

This constitutes a violation of the right to life and a passive refusal to provide necessary care, which entails legal responsibility for those responsible for implementation. Furthermore, the accumulation of such cases necessitates an independent and transparent investigation, and ensuring the activation of judicial and parliamentary oversight to prevent the recurrence of such tragedies and restore respect for the rule of law.

 

The Supreme State Security Prosecution continues to renew the detention of both researchers Hani Sobhi and Ismail al-Iskandarani, relying solely on National Security investigation reports, without presenting any material evidence or objective proof. This practice raises fundamental legal issues that undermine procedural justice standards and guarantees of personal freedom. Egyptian law—both the Code of Criminal Procedure and the established principles of the Court of Cassation—affirms that police investigations are merely “inferences” and do not, on their own, constitute sufficient evidence to restrict or continue restricting freedom unless corroborated by concrete, factual elements. The Court of Cassation has repeatedly ruled that investigations alone are “not sufficient as evidence or proof” unless they are based on specific, serious information that is open to discussion and refutation. Despite this, the Supreme State Security Prosecution continues to renew detentions based solely on investigations, which transforms pretrial detention from an exceptional measure into a prolonged tool of pressure and punishment before trial, in violation of Article 54 of the Constitution, which stipulates the necessity of serious and judicial justifications for depriving any person of their liberty, and Article 143 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which defines the conditions and regulations for pretrial detention.

Keeping researchers in detention for extended periods without presenting new evidence, and relying solely on investigation files whose veracity cannot be verified or effectively discussed, represents a violation of constitutional standards of justice, undermines guarantees of scientific research and freedom of expression, and renders judicial oversight meaningless.

These practices confirm the urgent need for a comprehensive political and judicial review to ensure that Pretrial detention remains a necessary measure in the narrowest of circumstances, not a means of punishment or obstruction.