Excerpts based on reporting by Valerie Manyega | Jurist.com | University of Nairobi School of Law
A coalition of international human rights organizations, led by Amnesty International, has issued an urgent call for the immediate release of Egyptian human rights lawyer and activist Ibrahim Metwally. Detained since 2017, Metwally has now spent nearly seven years in pre-trial detention — a period marred by allegations of torture, legal irregularities, and denial of due process.
Metwally, 61, was arrested at Cairo International Airport while en route to Switzerland to speak about his son’s enforced disappearance. According to the joint NGO statement released Monday, he was held incommunicado for two days after his arrest and later told lawyers that officers from Egypt’s National Security Agency subjected him to severe torture, including electric shocks, beatings, and forced nudity — in violation of international prohibitions on torture.
Since then, Metwally has reportedly been subjected to the practice of “rotation” — a tactic used by Egypt’s Supreme State Security Prosecutor (SSSP) to extend pre-trial detention by cycling individuals through repetitive charges. Despite an Egyptian Criminal Code provision barring such practices, Metwally has faced charges for “spreading false information” and “communicating with foreign entities” multiple times, with each case closed only to be reopened under similar accusations. In a new trial that began on June 1, prosecutors now accuse him of funding terrorism. His legal team, however, has been denied access to case files ahead of the next hearing scheduled for June 11.
The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor, has strongly criticized Egypt’s treatment of Metwally, citing multiple violations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Lawlor also emphasized that Metwally’s detention appears to be retaliatory, linked to his engagement with the United Nations and international advocacy against enforced disappearances in Egypt.
Metwally is currently being held in Badr 3 Prison under deteriorating health conditions. His family reported in December 2024 that he required urgent surgery and requested his transfer to a specialized hospital — a request that remains unanswered by Egyptian authorities.
Human rights advocates view Metwally’s case as emblematic of Egypt’s ongoing crackdown on dissent and civil society, and are urging the Egyptian government to end his arbitrary detention, allow access to legal counsel, and provide appropriate medical care.
