Arrested Egyptians Reappear and Face Charges

There has been a significant new development in the ongoing case of the detained and disappeared members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light (AROPL) in Egypt. Between 8 and 14 March 2025, Egyptian authorities initiated a targeted crackdown on members of the faith. Authorities conducted raids on their homes, pursued and arrested several individuals, most of whom were forcibly disappeared and held incommunicado. This escalation followed the display of a banner in Giza that publicly proclaimed the beliefs of the religion. In response to this violation of human rights and freedom of belief, Amnesty International issued a press release calling on the immediate and unconditional release of the detainees. Following this public statement by Amnesty International, the detained believers have resurfaced. They were presented to the Supreme State Security prosecution, the facility of their detention was disclosed as well as all the names of the detained members arrested in this case. With this it became apparent that several more members have been arrested compared to the originally recorded number, raising the total number of detainees from eight to twelve.

The newly arrested individuals are Ali Al-Hadari, Hamdy Abd El-Azeem El-Sayed Abdallah, Othman Al-Gohary Othman Othman, Ali Ahmad Mahmoud Shahat, and Mohammed Eissa Rashad Abdelraheem. They are all currently being held at the 10th of Ramadan Prison, where they are undergoing interrogation by the Supreme State Security Prosecution. Authorities are pursuing charges under Article 87 of the Egyptian Penal Code, accusing those arrested of “belonging to or joining an illegal group”.

Video of the 10th Ramadan Prison

Conditions inside the prison have been described as dire. The detainees have reported maltreatment and being denied food.

Hussein Al-Tawani

Particularly alarming are reports concerning Hussein Al-Tawani, who has been subjected to torture intended to force him to renounce his faith. He stated that he complied under duress to stop the abuse, but later reaffirmed his beliefs, explaining that he had only recanted to end the suffering. He has been subjected to repeated torture and interrogations, as authorities attempt to portray him as the founder of the group. He has also reported receiving death threats from the State Security officers.

Family visits have been strictly prohibited. Those identified as members of the religion, as well as the mothers and other relatives of the detainees, have been denied access.

Authorities are actively hunting down members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light across Egypt. This coordinated, nationwide effort is targeting individuals from all corners of the country, stretching as far as Luxor. The ongoing arrests highlight a deeply troubling and systematic pattern of religious persecution.

This case not only exposes Egypt’s failure to uphold its constitutional commitment to religious freedom but also demonstrates a clear breach of international human rights laws. The Egyptian authorities are using their penal code to silence individuals based on their religious beliefs, weaponizing the law to unjustly prosecute people for peacefully manifesting their faith, rather than for any actual crimes. This reflects a systematic effort to suppress freedom of religion, with detainees being arrested, tortured, and forcibly disappeared. Such actions expose a blatant disregard for fundamental human rights.