Extra Bio Info:

Ramy Kamel was detained for his civil rights work and religious freedom advocacy.

On November 23, 2019, security forces arrested Kamel, a human rights activist and founder of the Maspero Youth Foundation, from his home in El-Warraq, Giza, and confiscated his phone, camera, and computer. They then took him to an undisclosed location and reportedly beat him into giving up the passwords to his devices. He was also deprived of his asthma and blood pressure medication. After being missing for hours, Kamel appeared in front of Supreme State Security Prosecution where he was interrogated without a lawyer. He was then charged with several crimes, including “joining and financing a terrorist group” and "spreading false information."

Kamel was outspoken about Coptic Christian rights in Egypt. He has documented violence targeting Copts in Upper Egypt and their forced displacement. His arrest came a few days before he was scheduled to speak at the UN Forum on Minority Issues in Geneva on November 28 and 29, 2019.

Kamel was reportedly subjected to solitary confinement while detained and was denied adequate medical care and family visits.

On January 8, 2022, Kamel was released from prison.

Extra Bio Info:

Anas Hassan was imprisoned for his alleged atheistic activity.

In August 2019, authorities arrested Hassan for allegedly running the Facebook page, "The Egyptian Atheists," and charged him with “publishing a religious text in a way that distorts its meaning” (Art. 161(1) ECC), "inciting hatred against a sect of people" (Art. 176 ECC), and "assaulting Egyptian family values” (Art. 25 Cyber-Crime Law, 2018), among others. 

On February 27, 2020, the Economic Misdemeanors Court of Ameriya sentenced Hassan to three years' imprisonment and fined him 300,000 Egyptian pounds for "insulting religion" and "misusing social media."

Hassan was released from prison after serving his three-year sentence.

Extra Bio Info:

Patrick George Zaki was imprisoned for his expression about his religious identity.

On February 7, 2020, authorities arrested Zaki, a graduate student and human rights researcher, at Cairo International Airport after he had returned home to Egypt from Italy. Zaki was reportedly beaten, stripped, and electrocuted by authorities before appearing with prosecutors. He was also verbally abused and threatened with sexual assault. Authorities originally charged Zaki with allegedly "joining a terrorist organization" and "spreading false information."

In September 2021, it was reported that Zaki had been indicted for “spreading false news inside and outside of the country” reportedly because of an opinion article he wrote in 2019 about being Coptic Christian in Egypt. In the article, titled “Displacement, Killing and Restriction: A Week’s Diaries of Egypt’s Copts," Zaki reacts to current events impacting Coptic Christians.

On December 7, 2021, the Mansoura Emergency State Security Court ordered Zaki's release pending trial.

On December 8, 2021, Zaki was released.

On July 18, 2023, the Emergency State Security Misdemeanors Court in Mansoura sentenced Zaki to three years in prison. He was taken into custody following the verdict.

On July 19, 2023, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi pardoned Zaki. 

On July 20, 2023, Zaki was released. 

Zaki reportedly suffers from asthma which puts him at greater risk if he contracts COVID-19.