Skip to content
The Refugees Platform in Egypt extends its full solidarity to human rights defender Karim Ennarah, Director of the Research Unit at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), who was released yesterday, August 27, 2025, by the Supreme State Security Prosecution on personal bail in connection with a new case. This release followed his arbitrary detention for over twelve hours after his arrest on the North Coast.
The Platform calls for dropping all charges against Ennarah in this and previous cases, the closure of the five criminal cases initiated against EIPR over recent years, and an immediate end to the targeting and criminalization of human rights defenders in Egypt.
Ennarah is a human rights defender, expert in criminal justice issues and also workes on immigration and asylum cases in Egypt. According to EIPR and Ennarah’s family, he was first stopped at a security checkpoint near his residence in the North Coast, where two officers inspected his national ID card and demanded to search his personal phone—an unlawful request he refused, although allowed to leave. He was later headed to Alamein Hospital to visit patient, where surprisingly found the same two officers who intercepted him earlier in front of the hospital. Again they stopped him, forced out of the car and intercepted the car. They forced him into another car after blindfolding and handcuffing him. He was held for over 12 hours before appearing before the Supreme State Security Prosecution in New Cairo.
Ennarah was interrogated in Case No. 6592/2025 (Supreme State Security) on recurring, baseless charges: “joining a terrorist group,” “spreading false news,” and “misusing an online platform,” all grounded only in undisclosed National Security investigations. The only evidence presented was a Facebook post he had shared in July 2023, containing nothing more than a photo of a tree from a public page titled ‘A Tree a Day’.
This renewed targeting of Ennarah is not unprecedented. He had been arrested in November 2020, along with two EIPR directors, in Case No. 855/2020, before his release the following month. Since then, he has remained subject to arbitrary punitive measures, including asset freezes, banking restrictions, and a travel ban—without charge or trial.
The present case is the fifth criminal proceeding initiated against EIPR in four years and the second directly targeting Ennarah, reflecting a broader pattern of reprisals against human rights defenders such as Ahmed Douma, Lina Attalah, and Hossam Bahgat, through the practice of “case recycling” (reprocessing), which is aligned with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights specially in his last statement.
The arrest of Karim Ennarah—or any human rights defender—is not an isolated violation but a direct threat to society at large and an intimidation tactic against all who dare to defend rights and freedoms. Such practices flagrantly contradict Egypt’s constitutional and international obligations, as well as its own official calls for national dialogue.
The Refugees Platform in Egypt therefore calls for:
- The immediate dismissal of all charges and the closure of all cases against Karim Ennarah in the absence of any credible evidence.
- The closure of the five criminal cases brought against EIPR and its team in recent years.
- An end to punitive measures targeting human rights defenders and journalists, and guarantees that publishing or expressing opinions will not result in prosecution.
- An immediate halt to the practice of “case recycling” (tadweer), which keeps defenders under perpetual threat of re-arrest and prosecution.
The Refugees Platform in Egypt stresses that respect for human rights and opening civic space are fundamental prerequisites for any genuine political process, and urges the state to guarantee the right of all citizens to freely express their opinions—including online and on social media—without fear of arrest, intimidation, or punishment.
