Egypt Is Prosecuting a Mother for Reporting Her Son’s Torture

By Suchita Uppal and Mohamed Lotfy

Mohamed Lotfy is the Executive Director of the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms.

On Monday, November 17, an Egyptian Court is due to decide whether to release or continue detaining Hoda Abdel Hamid Muhammad — a 55-year-old woman who has spent nearly five years in pre-trial detention for reporting her son’s torture. Her case is another test of how far Egyptian authorities are willing to go to silence those who speak out against abuse, and how long its international partners will continue to look the other way.

In April 2021, Hoda’s son, Abdelrahman al-Showeikh, a political prisoner at Minya maximum-security prison, handed her a letter describing a horrific assault. He wrote that a fellow inmate, acting with the complicity and assistance of prison officers, had “tied him up, ripped off his clothes, and sexually assaulted him in several ways.” He begged his mother to alert Egypt’s Attorney General, human rights organizations, and the United Nations — anyone who would listen — and to “help [him] with whatever [she] can do in this matter.”

Hoda did exactly that. She filed a complaint with the prosecutor’s office in Minya and posted a public appeal on Facebook, naming the perpetrators. A few days later, she shared an emotional video on Facebook pleading for help, explaining that her son had repeatedly been beaten and sent to the prison hospital. The next day, security forces raided her Cairo home before dawn, arresting her, her husband, and her daughter.

She remains in custody; her husband and daughter were released days later. She is charged with “joining a terrorist group” and “spreading false news” — charges based entirely on her Facebook posts and legal complaint. Since then, her detention has been extended repeatedly, in clear violation of Egypt’s two-year threshold for pre-trial detention. International and local NGOs have condemned the authorities for imprisoning her instead of investigating her son’s torture allegations.

Our organizations have both for many years detailed extensive torture in Egyptian detention, which is still rife across the prison system.

Hoda’s health has deteriorated significantly during nearly five years of detention. She suffers from multiple chronic and untreated conditions, and has experienced prolonged periods without adequate medical care. Repeated requests for proper treatment have been ignored by prison authorities.

The charges against Hoda reflect a broader pattern of reprisal. Egyptian authorities routinely target family members of detainees and critics who speak out. Over the past few years, dozens of persons have been imprisoned under boilerplate accusations: spreading false news, misusing social media, or aiding terrorist groups. Pretrial detention limits are evaded through case “rotation”  or “recycling” a practice where defendants are re-accused under new file numbers when old deadlines expire.

International political support for Hoda’s case has been limited. One of the few public acknowledgments came from U.S. Congressman Jim McGovern, who in April 2021 condemned her arrest in a hearing of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, saying “[e]nough is enough”. But beyond that, U.S. government officials have remained largely silent.

The European Union has done little to show its support. While the European Parliament has condemned the use of abusive and arbitrary detention in Egypt and called for the release of well-known political prisoners, it has failed to name Hoda or address her case directly. It has the tools—and the leverage—to do more. The EU can and should insist on consequences for the targeting of those who report torture.

On November 17, the court can at least end Hoda Abdel Hamid Muhammad’s horrific detention. She should be acquitted and released. Continued silence from Egypt’s allies will only deepen the state’s impunity.