MOHAMED
IBRAHIM (KNOWN AS “OXYGEN”)

Background and Work

Mohamed Ibrahim, who used the online pseudonym "Oxygen," worked as a blogger and journalist documenting political events, election processes, and human rights violations in Egypt. In April 2018, he published information about irregularities in the country's presidential elections. His reporting drew the attention of security services.

On 6 April 2018, authorities arrested him. He was released on 31 July 2019 under restrictive conditions that required him to report to El-Basateen Police Station in Cairo twice each week for questioning and prohibited him from continuing his blogging activities. These measures effectively curtailed his ability to work and placed him under ongoing surveillance.

Arrest and Enforced Disappearance

On 21 September 2019, Ibrahim went to the police station to comply with his reporting obligations. Officers detained him immediately. The arrest came one day after he posted a tweet naming demonstrators and journalists detained amid protests over allegations of military corruption and demands for the president's resignation. Blogger and activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah was arrested during the same crackdown.

Ibrahim was subjected to enforced disappearance for 18 days. His whereabouts remained unknown until 8 October 2019, when he was brought before the Supreme State Security Prosecution. Authorities charged him with spreading false news and joining a terrorist group. During his first court appearance that day, guards barred his lawyer from entering the courtroom, denying him legal representation at a critical stage of the proceedings.

On 3 November 2020, a terrorism court ordered his release along with hundreds of other pretrial detainees. Before the release order could be executed, however, prosecutors brought new charges against him on 10 November 2020, again accusing him of membership in a terrorist organization. This practice—known locally as "rotation"—reset his pretrial detention and ensured his continued imprisonment.

Trial and Continued Detention Beyond Sentence

The Emergency State Security Misdemeanour Court sentenced Ibrahim to four years' imprisonment in Case No. 1228 of 2021, which was linked to Supreme State Security Case No. 1356 of 2019. The charges stemmed from his peaceful expression of views online and his documentation of protests.

He has now been detained for more than six years since his September 2019 arrest. His four-year sentence has long since been completed. Despite this, authorities continue to hold him. He is the last remaining detainee in Case No. 1228 of 2021. Human rights lawyer Mohamed El-Baqir was pardoned in July 2023 and activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah was pardoned in September 2025, but Ibrahim remains imprisoned.

Detention Conditions, Family Denial, and Reprisals

Following his arrest, Ibrahim was transferred to Tora Maximum Security Prison, where he was held for more than a year under harsh conditions. Authorities banned family visits for approximately two years. He was denied all contact with his mother from the time of his arrest until her death in February 2022. He was not permitted to see her before she died, nor to attend her funeral.

In December 2021, he was moved to Badr Prison. Conditions there were less severe, and his physical health improved somewhat. In December 2022—more than three years after his arrest—authorities finally allowed him to receive family visits.

In April 2023, Ibrahim, along with Mohamed El-Baqir and writer Ahmed Douma, attempted to defend an elderly detainee who was being assaulted by a guard. Prison authorities responded by beating the three men and placing them in solitary confinement. Ibrahim has spent extended periods in isolation as punishment for opposing mistreatment of other prisoners.

Health and Hunger Strike

Ibrahim's mental health deteriorated sharply after his rearrest in 2019. In July 2021, he attempted suicide. The incident underscored the severe psychological toll of his prolonged detention, enforced disappearance, denial of family contact, and conditions of confinement.

Between 13 April and 2 May 2024, he conducted a hunger strike to protest his continued imprisonment, alleged mistreatment, and prison conditions. Reports indicate that he has been subjected to both physical and psychological ill-treatment during his years in detention. His body has been covered with pustules and insect bites.

Legal Violations and International Standards

Ibrahim's case involves multiple violations of international human rights law. His arrest was arbitrary. His enforced disappearance violated the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. The denial of access to his lawyer at his first court hearing contravened Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees the right to a fair trial and legal counsel.

The practice of "rotation"—filing new charges to circumvent release orders—constitutes a form of judicial harassment that undermines legal certainty and the right to liberty under Article 9 of the ICCPR. His continued detention after the completion of his sentence violates Egyptian law and international standards, amounting to arbitrary deprivation of liberty.

The conditions at Tora Maximum Security Prison, the prolonged denial of family visits, the denial of contact with his dying mother, the use of solitary confinement as punishment, and the reported physical and psychological ill-treatment all breach the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules) and constitute inhumane treatment.