On June 3, 2020, a security force in civilian clothing arrested AlTomahy from his home in Cairo. He was forcibly disappeared for 17 days at the National Security headquarters in Cairo. On June 20, AlTomahy appeared before the Supreme State Security Prosecution, marking the first time he was interrogated since his arrest.
The interrogation focused on two main points:
- AlTomahy’s political research and writings on youth movements.
- His alleged connection to activist Mohamed Soltan.
AlTomahy denied any connection to Soltan, clarifying that he had collaborated with journalists whose surnames were “Soltan” but who had no relation to Mohamed Soltan. Nevertheless, the prosecution charged him with joining a terrorist group and publishing false news and ordered his detention for 15 days pending investigations in Case No. 649 of 2020. These charges are commonly and arbitrarily used against individuals detained in political cases without presenting concrete evidence.
By June 2022, AlTomahy had exceeded the maximum pretrial detention period of two years under Egyptian law, which mandated his release. However, the authorities continued to renew his detention, prompting AlTomahy to declare a full hunger strike on June 5, 2023, in protest of his arbitrary and unlawful detention. Despite his hunger strike, the judicial authorities continued to extend his detention without reviewing the baseless charges against him.
After 15 days on hunger strike, he was transferred to the prison hospital, where he was given IV fluids. The prison administration attempted to persuade him to end his strike. Following severe health deterioration, AlTomahy transitioned to a partial hunger strike before eventually halting it due to extreme exhaustion.
On January 13, 2025, the Supreme State Security Prosecution referred AlTomahy to criminal trial before the Criminal Court on charges of leading a terrorist group and participating in a criminal conspiracy aimed at committing terrorist acts in the same case he was initially detained for.
Conditions of Detention:
Since his arrest, AlTomahy has faced harsh detention conditions. He was initially denied access to exercise and prohibited from receiving books or newspapers. Family visits were also banned until October 2020. Currently, his wife is allowed to visit him once a month, but only from behind bars.
AlTomahy suffers from severe health and psychological issues, including rheumatism, deteriorating vision, and joint pain. His family also faces economic hardships due to his detention, as his university stopped paying his salary after his arrest.
Who is Ahmed AlTomahy AbdelHay?
Ahmed AlTomahy AbdelHay is an Egyptian academic who served as a visiting scholar at the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) at the Institute for East European Studies, Free University of Berlin. He also worked as an assistant professor of political science at Alexandria University since 2014.
His research focused on democratic transitions, social movements, youth movements, and state-society relations in the Arab region. From 2010 to 2014, he was a member of the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies (BRISMES) and the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA).
Previously, AlTomahy worked as a researcher at the National Center for Social and Criminological Research in Cairo (2000–2014) and at the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies (1996–2000). He participated in numerous conferences in Egypt and abroad, published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, and authored several books.
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