Assistant professor of political science; researcher in comparative politics and international relations.
His rightful place is in academia—lecturing students, conducting research, and participating in scholarly discourse. Instead, he has spent years behind bars.HuMENA Editorial
Ahmed Al-Tohamy is a political science scholar whose research has been recognized internationally. He was arrested from his home in Cairo in June 2020 and forcibly disappeared for 17 days before being charged under counterterrorism law.
Ahmed Al-Tohamy is an assistant professor of political science whose research in comparative politics and international relations has been recognized in academic institutions internationally. His scholarship and public engagement as a researcher made him a target of Egyptian security services, part of a wider crackdown on academics, researchers, and intellectuals who challenge or critically examine state policy.
Egypt's use of counterterrorism legislation to prosecute peaceful expression has intensified since 2013. Academics, journalists, and human rights defenders are routinely charged with offenses such as "joining a terrorist group" and "spreading false news," charges derived from speech acts rather than documented criminal conduct.
On 3 June 2020, unidentified security forces arrested Ahmed Al-Tohamy from his home in Cairo. He was taken to the State Security Authority headquarters and held incommunicado for seventeen days. During this period, he had no contact with his family or legal counsel. His family received no information about his location, his physical condition, or the grounds for his detention.
He reappeared on 20 June 2020 before the Supreme State Security Prosecution (SSSP), where he was formally placed in pretrial detention in connection with Supreme State Security Case 649/2020. The charges brought against him include joining a terrorist group, spreading false news, and misusing social media. All three charges appear to derive from his academic work and public writing.
Ahmed Al-Tohamy's pretrial detention has been renewed repeatedly by the SSSP. Egyptian law permits pretrial detention for up to two years, but in cases brought before the Supreme State Security Prosecution—an exceptional prosecutorial body with jurisdiction over national security cases—defendants routinely remain in detention far longer through the practice of "rotation," in which prosecutors close one case and open an identical new case with the same charges.
He was denied family visits until October 2020, nearly four months after his arrest. His lawyer was barred from accessing the case file for seven months and prevented from attending detention review hearings, in violation of both Egyptian law and Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. During several periods lasting months, his family had no information about his whereabouts or condition.
Ahmed Al-Tohamy was initially detained at Giza Central Prison, a facility known for severe overcrowding, inadequate sanitation, and abusive conditions. In December 2020, he was transferred to Al Qanater Men's Prison, where he remains.
He suffers from high blood pressure and a spinal disc problem. Prison authorities control access to medication and medical devices, which are provided inconsistently or denied entirely. He has not received adequate medical examination or treatment. Denial of medical care in Egyptian prisons is widespread and has contributed to preventable deaths in custody.
He has been denied physical exercise and held in conditions that violate the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners.
Ahmed Al-Tohamy's arrest, enforced disappearance, and ongoing detention constitute multiple violations of international human rights law. His arrest was arbitrary under Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. His enforced disappearance for seventeen days is prohibited under the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, to which Egypt is a signatory.
The denial of legal counsel, the exclusion of his lawyer from hearings, and the prolonged pretrial detention without judicial review violate his right to a fair trial under Article 14 of the ICCPR. The charges themselves—spreading false news and misusing social media—criminalize protected expression and are incompatible with Article 19 of the ICCPR.
The use of counterterrorism charges to prosecute academic work reflects a broader pattern in which Egyptian authorities deploy national security laws to silence researchers, writers, and critics. The Supreme State Security Prosecution operates with minimal judicial oversight and routinely renews detention orders without meaningful review.
Ahmed Al-Tohamy remains in pretrial detention at Al Qanater Men's Prison. He continues to be denied consistent access to legal counsel, adequate medical care, and fair proceedings. He has been separated from his family for more than four years, missing the milestones, celebrations, and daily presence that constitute a life.
His detention is both a violation of his individual rights and an illustration of the systematic repression facing Egypt's academic and intellectual community. His case demands immediate remedies: access to legal representation, independent medical examination and treatment, judicial review of his detention, and either a fair trial in a civilian court or his unconditional release.
This case file was compiled by HuMENA's Egypt research team from primary documentation, public filings, family-supplied legal documents, and confidential partner reporting. Editorial responsibility rests with the HuMENA Editorial Board. Where dates or facts are uncertain, the record errs on the side of the source material and notes uncertainty in the live archive at humena.org.
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