On Tuesday, 10 November 2026, the Cairo Criminal Court, sitting in chambers at the Badr court complex, ordered the continued pretrial detention of political activist Nael Hassan for 45 days pending investigation in Case No. 4373 of 2026 (Supreme State Security). The court also extended, for the same period, the detention of the defendants in Case No. 1644 of 2024 (Supreme State Security), known in the media as the “Palestine Solidarity” case: labour leader Shady Ali Ali Mohamed, Omar Sami Al-Ansari, Mohamed Hamed Diab, Abdullah Ahmed Mohamed, and Youssef Yasser.
On 24 May 2026, the Supreme State Security Prosecution ordered Nael Hassan’s pretrial detention for 15 days pending investigation, on charges of spreading false news and using a website to promote terrorist ideas. This followed his enforced disappearance for several days: contact with him was lost on 21 May after he received a telephone summons from the National Security Sector in Alexandria, and he remained unaccounted for until he appeared before the prosecution, which proceeded to interrogate him without investigating his disappearance.
This is not the first time Nael Hassan has been targeted by the security authorities. He was arrested in August 2025 and released the same day, and was previously arrested in April 2017 in connection with protests against the maritime border demarcation agreement, remaining in detention until April 2018.
In Case No. 1644 of 2024, the defendants have exceeded the two-year maximum period of pretrial detention set by the Code of Criminal Procedure, having been arrested in April 2024. Their continued detention therefore lacks any legal basis.
Shady Mohamed is suffering from deteriorating health as a result of a shoulder injury and delays in providing him with the necessary medical care, placing him at risk of permanent disability. His family’s hardship is compounded by his continued detention at the 10th of Ramadan Correctional and Rehabilitation Centre, which imposes additional financial burdens that prevent them from visiting him regularly.
The Law and Democracy Support Foundation (LDSF) calls for the immediate release of Nael Hassan and for a prompt, independent investigation into his enforced disappearance. It further calls for the release of the defendants in the “Palestine Solidarity” case, who have exceeded the maximum period of pretrial detention permitted by law.
