17 June 2026
The East Alexandria Prosecution ordered today the release of filmmaker and physician Omnia Sweidan on bail of EGP 20,000, following investigations into allegations of spreading false news and misusing social media.
Sweidan had been arrested yesterday from her home inDamanhour. Her family and lawyers were unable to contact her or determine her whereabouts until she was brought before the prosecution today.
Sweidan had published a personal testimony on her Facebook account recounting her experience during a brief period of work as an intern physician at El-Shatby Hospital in Alexandria. In her testimony, she discussed the issue of obstetric violenc, a form of gender-based violence experienced by women during childbirth within healthcare institutions.
Salwa Bashir, a lawyer at the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE), stated that the release procedures are expected to be completed today once the bail amount set by the prosecution is paid.
Earlier today, several human rights organizations issued a joint statement calling on the Egyptian authorities to immediately release Sweidan and refrain from bringing charges against her for exercising her right to freedom of expression and for publishing her testimony. The organizations also stressed the importance of taking the allegations raised in her testimony seriously and ensuring independent and transparent investigations into the incidents she described.
