Law and Democracy Support Foundation (LDSF) condemns the continued detention of writer and novelist Peter Tawfik Kamal, who remains under investigation in Case No. 1184 of 2026 (Mallawi Administrative Misdemeanor Case), on charges of blasphemy and advocating atheism in connection with his literary works and opinions published online.
Peter was detained at the National Security headquarters in Mallawi on 14 April 2026, after voluntarily responding to a security summons issued to him. He was subsequently subjected to enforced disappearance for eight full days before reappearing in an arrest report dated 22 April 2026, which falsely claimed that he had been apprehended on a public road. This account contradicts the documented facts contained in official telegrams submitted by his family on 16 April 2026, reporting his detention and demanding disclosure of his whereabouts.
These official telegrams reveal that Peter was denied fundamental legal safeguards guaranteed to detainees, including his right to communicate with his lawyer and family and to be informed of the reasons for his detention. The circumstances also raise serious concerns regarding the alleged manipulation of the date of arrest in an apparent attempt to conceal his actual detention. Such actions constitute a violation of the right to liberty and personal security, undermine the constitutional and legal guarantees governing arrest and detention procedures, and are inconsistent with Egypt’s international obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
The charges against Peter Tawfik Kamal are directly linked to his peaceful exercise of the right to freedom of expression and artistic creativity through his literary work. According to the case file, he is accused of “exploiting religion to promote extremist ideas with the intent of disparaging the Abrahamic religions through the international information network,” based on allegations that he published or promoted ideas questioning or denying the existence of God through his literary works and online activity, particularly his novel Farewell, My Dear God.
LDSF believes that prosecuting writers and artists because of their literary works or the philosophical ideas and questions they contain constitutes a direct violation of freedom of belief, guaranteed under Article 64 of the Egyptian Constitution, as well as freedom of opinion and expression, guaranteed under Article 65. Such prosecutions also contradict Egypt’s international obligations to protect intellectual and cultural pluralism and undermine the free exchange of ideas and open intellectual debate in the public sphere.
Peter Tawfik Kamal is one of Egypt’s young voices and has authored several novels, including The Land of Absurdity, Wandering, and Love, Not Born to Be Reassured, Sonata for the Crying Violet, Psalms of Exile and Nothingness, and The Returning One’s Labyrinth. LDSF stresses that disagreement with the content or themes of a literary work can never justify criminalization or prosecution. Protecting artistic freedom requires engagement through debate, criticism, and public dialogue rather than security and judicial measures that may lead to imprisonment.
This case forms part of a broader pattern of prosecutions related to freedom of expression and creativity in Egypt, which in recent years has affected writers, journalists, and human rights defenders because of their peaceful exercise of fundamental rights. LDSF emphasizes that protecting freedom of expression and artistic creativity is a legal obligation of the state and a cornerstone of the rule of law and respect for intellectual and cultural diversity.
Law and Democracy Support Foundation reiterates that freedom of expression and literary creativity are fundamental rights protected under both international human rights standards and the Egyptian Constitution. Individuals should not be criminalized or punished for peacefully expressing their opinions or producing intellectual and literary works.
LDSF calls for:
- The immediate and unconditional release of writer and novelist Peter Tawfik Kamal.
- The dismissal of all charges related to his peaceful exercise of the rights to freedom of opinion, expression, and artistic creativity.
- An independent and transparent investigation into the circumstances of his detention, enforced disappearance, and allegations concerning the manipulation of the date of his arrest.
- Guarantees that neither he nor members of his family will be subjected to reprisals for seeking to exercise and protect his legal rights.
