3 June 2026
Today, the Fifth Settlement Misdemeanors Court sentenced prominent political activist Ahmed Douma to one year in prison with labor and immediate enforcement in case No. 4894 of 2026 (Fifth Settlement Misdemeanors).
Douma was referred to trial over an article he published last March titled “From Prison Inside the State to the State Inside Prison” on the website Al-Araby Al-Jadeed. In the article, he discussed the continuous use of floodlights in prisons throughout the day, arguing that this poses serious risks to the psychological and physical health of detainees, amounting to a form of systematic torture.
As a result of the article, Douma faced charges of deliberately broadcasting false news, rumors, and statements about the country’s internal situation, which undermine the state’s authority and standing, disturb public security, and harm the public interest.
13 May 2026
The New Cairo Misdemeanor Court has scheduled the next 3 June session for pronouncing judgment in case No. 4894 of 2026 (Fifth Settlement Misdemeanors), in which prominent political activist Ahmed Douma is accused over an article he published in March titled “From the Prison Inside the State to the State Inside the Prison” on the Al-Araby Al-Jadeed website.
The article, which later led to Douma’s arrest, responded to the government’s decision to close shops at 9 p.m. as part of a state energy‑saving plan. In the piece, Douma called on the government to include prisons in the conservation plan by “turning off lighting that runs 24 hours a day at high intensity, which is also dangerous to prisoners’ physical and mental health.” Authorities considered these claims to be false news about the country’s internal situation, as he described the continuous lighting as systematic torture of detainees.
In the session, Douma’s defense submitted several requests to the court, including:
- A court inspection of the wards of Badr Prison 1 and 10th of Ramadan Prison, and documentation of the number of high‑intensity floodlights in each ward.
- Summoning Dr. Abdel Moneim Abu El‑Fotouh, Ahmed Abu Baraka, and Essam Sultan — inmates held in Badr Prison 1 — to appear before the court to testify about the number and duration of floodlight illumination in each ward.
- Appointing an independent medical committee with expertise in psychology to prepare a report on the impact of continuous high‑intensity lighting in cells on prisoners’ mental and physical health.
- Seizing and extracting footage from the cameras in the cell where Ahmed Douma was held in Badr Prison 1 for the period from October 2022 until 20 August 2023.
- Seizing and extracting footage from the cameras in 10th of Ramadan Prison 4, where Douma is currently held, for the period from 7 April 2026 until the session date of 13 May 2026.
- Hearing the testimony of the two defense witnesses, lawyer Ziad Al‑Alimi and journalist Ahmed Ramadan Tantawi.
- Hearing the testimony of the journalist and Journalists’ Syndicate board member Iman Ouf regarding the professional nature of the article’s content.
Douma’s defense also submitted several arguments in a legal memorandum, challenging the validity of the forensic evidence report submitted by the prosecution against Douma. These arguments can be summarized as follows:
Invalidity of the technical report, and that it is merely investigative material
- The report did not comply with the technical requirements of the Anti‑Cybercrime Law No. 175 of 2018; it did not use or demonstrate techniques such as Digital Images Hash to ensure evidence integrity.
- The report included posts unrelated to the case, violating the requirement of relevance to the incident.
- The report lacked a procedural record and did not specify the tools and software used, undermining its evidentiary value.
Invalidity for failure of the expert to take the oath
- Article 86 of the Code of Criminal Procedure requires the expert to swear an oath before the investigating judge; the expert did not take such an oath. The report bears only the signature of the department director without identifying the person who performed the examination.
Insufficiency and inadequacy of the technical report to prove the charge
- The report did not explain the technical basis for linking the accounts to the defendant, nor did it specify the source of data, login records, or devices used.
- It did not prove that the defendant published the article or the contested content on platforms such as Facebook, Substack, or Al‑Araby Al‑Jadeed.
- The report relied on screenshots without conducting definitive digital forensic examinations; therefore, it cannot serve as conclusive evidence.
Memorandum on the invalidity of technical evidence
29 April 2026
Today, the New Cairo Misdemeanor Court decided to adjourn the trial session of political activist and poet Ahmed Douma, pending case No. 4894 of 2026 (Fifth Settlement Misdemeanors), to May 13.
The Supreme State Security Prosecution had referred Douma to trial on April 27, following an article he wrote titled “From Prison Inside the State to the State Inside Prison” published on the Al-Araby Al-Jadeed platform, as well as several complaints filed by citizens accusing him of spreading false news with the aim of overthrowing the current political regime.
Douma faces charges of deliberately broadcasting false news, rumors, and statements about the country’s internal situation, which undermine the state’s authority and standing, disturb public security, and harm the public interest.
27 April 2026
The Supreme State Security Prosecution decided to transfer Case No. 2449 of 2026 (State Security), in which political activist and poet Ahmed Douma is accused, to the New Cairo Misdemeanor Court. The first hearing is to be held on April 29.
It is noted that Douma was arrested over an article he wrote titled “From Prison Inside the State to the State Inside Prison,” published on the New Arab platform. He faces charges of publishing false news domestically and abroad that could disturb public peace and security and undermine the state’s authority.
23 April 2026 “Douma’s appeal against renewing his pretrial detention for 15 days dismissed”
Today, the Council Chamber of Badr and Elsherouk Misdemeanor Court decided to dismiss the appeal filed by Ahmed Douma against the decision issued on April 21 to renew his pretrial detention for extra 15 days pending investigations in lawsuit No. 2449 of 2026 (Supreme State Security) in which he’s convicted for writing the article titled “A Prison Inside the State and a State Inside the Prison,” on the New Arab platform.
Douma faces charges of publishing false news domestically and abroad that could disturb public peace and security and undermine the state’s authority. And it’s noteworthy that he was subjected to several security pursuits after he was released from prison by presidential pardon in August 2023, but the prosecution continues to summon him for investigation in connection with various cases, the number of which has reached seven cases, and a total bail amounts close to 230,000 EGP.
21 April 2026
Today, the Council Chamber of Badr Misdemeanor Court renewed the detention of political activist Ahmed Douma, for 15 days, pending investigations in lawsuit No. 2449 of 2026 (Supreme State Security) in which he’s convicted for writing the article titled “A Prison Inside the State and a State Inside the Prison,” on the New Arab platform.
The prosecution also confronted Douma with a Facebook post in which he discussed violations faced by prisoners inside detention facilities, along with several reports filed by citizens accusing Douma of spreading false news with the intent of overthrowing the current political regime.
Douma faces charges of publishing false news domestically and abroad that could disturb public peace and security and undermine the state’s authority. And it’s noteworthy that he was subjected to several security pursuits after he was released from prison by presidential pardon in August 2023, but the prosecution continues to summon him for investigation in connection with various cases, the number of which has reached seven cases, and a total bail amounts close to 230,000 EGP.
AFTE, along with several human rights organizations, issued a joint statement calling to immediately release Douma, dropping all charges against him, and closing Case No. 2449 of 2026 in its entirety. They called on Egyptian authorities to lift the travel ban that remains imposed on him, end all ongoing prosecutions, and stop exercising its arrest and prosecution powers to silence him for his exercise of free expression and defense of human rights.
9 April 2026
Today, Elsherouk and Badr Misdemeanor Court, decided to renew the detention of Activist Ahmed Douma, for 15 days, pending investigations in lawsuit No. 2449 of 2026 (Supreme State Security). He is accused of publishing false news domestically and abroad that could disturb public peace and security and undermine the state’s authority.
The prosecution confronted Douma with an article he wrote titled “A Prison Inside the State and a State Inside the Prison,” along with a Facebook post in which he discussed violations faced by prisoners inside detention facilities. These charges were brought following several reports filed by citizens accusing Douma of spreading false news with the intent of overthrowing the regime.
6 April 2026
On April 6, the Supreme State Security Prosecution decided to detain activist Ahmed Douma for four days pending investigations in lawsuit No. 2449 of 2026 (Supreme State Security). He is accused of publishing false news domestically and abroad that could disturb public peace and security and undermine the state’s authority.
The prosecution confronted Douma with an article he wrote titled “A Prison Inside the State and a State Inside the Prison,” along with a Facebook post in which he discussed violations faced by prisoners inside detention facilities. These charges were brought following several reports filed by citizens accusing Douma of spreading false news with the intent of overthrowing the regime.
