MOHAMED
EL-BAQER

Editorial update · 13 May 2026 — El-Baqer was released by presidential pardon on 20 July 2023 after almost four years of detention. However, on 18 November 2025 the Cairo Criminal Court renewed his placement on Egypt's terrorism watchlist for another five years, continuing a pattern of post-release restrictions.

Background and Work

Mohamed El-Baqer is a lawyer who founded and directed the Adalah Center for Rights and Freedoms, an independent legal aid organisation serving political detainees and prisoners of conscience in Egypt. The centre documented rights violations, provided legal representation in politically sensitive cases, and advocated for civil and political freedoms during a period of intensifying repression.

His work placed him at the centre of Egypt's shrinking space for dissent. The Adalah Center took on cases that few others would touch, representing defendants prosecuted under emergency laws, anti-terrorism statutes, and protest bans. El-Baqer's clients included journalists, activists, and other human rights defenders targeted by the state.

The Arrest

El-Baqer was arrested on 29 September 2019 inside the State Security Prosecution building in Cairo, where he had gone to represent detained activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah. His arrest came amid a broader crackdown triggered by rare public protests demanding President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi's resignation. In the days surrounding the demonstrations, security forces detained hundreds of people, including lawyers, journalists, and civil society members.

For the first 24 hours following his arrest, his whereabouts were unknown. On 30 September, the Supreme Public Prosecution ordered his placement in 15-day pre-trial detention. He was transferred to Tora Prison's Al-Aqrab wing on 1 October, a maximum security facility notorious for prolonged isolation and inhumane conditions.

Prolonged Pre-Trial Detention and Judicial Harassment

El-Baqer's detention was renewed repeatedly without trial. His case file grew to include charges of joining a terrorist organisation, spreading false news, and misusing social media. Prosecutors offered no specific evidence tying him to any criminal act; his legal work itself appeared to be the basis for the charges.

On 18 February 2020, the Criminal Court of Tora ordered his release. Within hours, the Public Prosecution appealed. Two days later, on 20 February, the court reversed its own decision and renewed his detention for another 45 days without explanation. The cycle of detention renewals continued through 2020 and into 2021.

In November 2020, while still in pre-trial detention, El-Baqer was added to Egypt's official terrorism list for five years. The designation carried automatic asset freezes and a travel ban, and it required no conviction or judicial hearing. The listing compounded the legal restrictions he faced and signalled the state's intent to marginalise him even beyond any eventual sentence.

Trial and Sentence

El-Baqer was finally brought before the New Cairo Emergency State Security Misdemeanour Court in November 2021, more than two years after his arrest. Emergency courts operate outside ordinary criminal procedure, offer limited appeal rights, and frequently convict on thin evidence. The defence was not permitted to make full oral submissions.

On 20 December 2021, the court sentenced El-Baqer to four years in prison. He was tried alongside journalist Mohamed Ibrahim, who received the same sentence. Both remained in detention at Tora throughout the proceedings.

Release

On 19 July 2023, President El-Sisi issued a pardon covering El-Baqer and researcher Patrick George Zaki, among others. El-Baqer was released the following day, after spending nearly four years in detention. His terrorism-list designation and its associated restrictions remained in effect.