Hossam Bahgat, the executive director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), was released on Sunday by Egypt’s Supreme State Security Prosecution after posting a bail of 20,000 Egyptian pounds ($398).
Bahgat faced charges of participating in and financing terrorist group activities and spreading false information.
The charges stem from an EIPR statement that urged Egypt’s public prosecutor, Mohamed Shawky Ayad, to investigate reports from families of detainees at the 10th of Ramadan 6 Prison.
The statement highlighted allegations of poor detention conditions and a hunger strike by inmates. Prosecutors interrogated Bahgat about the source of this information and demanded he disclose the names of the families mentioned, alleging the statement constituted false news.
Hossam Bahgat appeared before the Supreme State Security Prosecution in New Cairo’s Fifth Settlement district for questioning. After more than three hours of interrogation, the decision to release him on bail was issued.
This marks the fourth legal case targeting EIPR members since 2020.
Notably, in November 2020, three senior EIPR officials—Karim Ennarah, Mohammed Basheer, and Gasser Abdel-Razek—were detained after meeting foreign diplomats to discuss Egypt’s human rights situation.
Their arrests prompted an international backlash, including a statement from Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson.
Although the trio was released, a terror court later froze their assets, and Hossam Bahgat, the organisation’s founder, faced threats in state-run media.
