YOUSEF
ELDALY

Background and Work

Yousef Eldaly was nineteen years old in April 2024. He was preparing to enter his first year at university. On the evening of 1 April 2024, he left his home to buy snacks for a family movie night. Egyptian security forces arrested him that evening. He has not returned home since.

He is one of at least 158 people arrested in connection with protests expressing solidarity with Palestinians. According to the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, all face charges under Egypt's Anti-Terrorism Law. Four of those detained were minors at the time of arrest.

Arrest and Enforced Disappearance

Yousef was arrested on 1 April 2024. The charge against him is joining a terrorist organization. For two months following his arrest, his family received no information about his fate or whereabouts. He was subjected to enforced disappearance, a practice prohibited under international law.

When his family finally learned where he was being held, he had already been placed in prolonged pretrial detention. He remains detained under Case 2806/2024. No trial has begun.

The Case Against Him

The individual alleged to have led the group that Yousef supposedly joined is Mohammed Walid, a nineteen-year-old university student with severe physical disabilities. Walid has partial paralysis, a spinal cord defect, muscle atrophy, and a weakened heart and lungs. His lawyer has stated that he cannot stand unassisted or open a door independently. He and Yousef had never met before their arrest.

Despite these circumstances, both remain in pretrial detention. In mid-2025, the detention was extended by another forty-five days. Human rights organizations describe the case as part of a broader pattern: vague terrorism-related accusations, mass arrests linked to peaceful protest, and routine extensions of pretrial detention without meaningful judicial review.

Detention Conditions and Mental Health Crisis

Yousef's mental health has deteriorated severely in custody. His family reports that he is experiencing suicidal thoughts. He has stopped eating. He is unable to sleep. His psychological condition is rapidly worsening.

His family remained silent for months after his arrest. They say they were warned and intimidated. Recently, his sister broke that silence. She described a young man in acute psychological distress, with no access to adequate mental health care.

Yousef has now spent approximately sixteen months in pretrial detention without trial. This exceeds the legal limits set by Egyptian law and violates Egypt's obligations under Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibits arbitrary arrest and detention and guarantees the right to trial within a reasonable time or release.

Legal Proceedings

Yousef has been held in prolonged pretrial detention since April 2024. His detention has been extended repeatedly. In mid-2025, it was renewed for another forty-five days. No trial date has been set.

The charges against him relate to alleged membership in a terrorist organization. The prosecution is part of a wider crackdown on individuals accused of participating in protests expressing solidarity with Palestinians. The use of terrorism charges to criminalize peaceful protest violates the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly guaranteed under Articles 19 and 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

International Response

Yousef Eldaly's case reflects the broader use of prolonged pretrial detention as a tool of repression in Egypt. His continued detention without trial, combined with enforced disappearance and a severe mental health crisis, constitutes an urgent human rights emergency.

His case involves multiple serious violations: arbitrary arrest and detention, enforced disappearance, prolonged pretrial detention without trial, criminalization of peaceful protest and expression, and failure to safeguard mental health and life. The lack of access to independent psychological and psychiatric care, combined with reports of suicidal thoughts and refusal of food, places direct responsibility for his life, health, and safety on the Egyptian authorities.

Immediate action is required: his immediate release, or at minimum prompt presentation before an independent court with full fair trial guarantees; immediate access to independent psychological and psychiatric care; protection from further harm; and regular, meaningful family contact. Any continued failure to act endangers his life.