In absentia verdict against politician Hisham Kassem reinforces growing pattern of transnational repression targeting exiled dissidents

May 21, 2025

The undersigned organizations unequivocally condemn the verdict issued in absentia on 14 May 2025 by the Cairo Economic Misdemeanor Court, sentencing prominent publisher and political dissident Hisham Kassem to six months in prison with labor and ordering him to pay a fine of 20,000 Egyptian pounds. The sentence stems from charges of defamation, slander, and disturbing public peace in a case filed by former Minister of Manpower and Immigration Nahed Ashry.

Kassem had previously been convicted in September 2023 in an identical case related to the same social media post in which he criticized both former ministers, Abu Eita and Ashry. He served a six-month sentence following a trial that drew widespread condemnation from human rights groups due to serious violations of his right to defense and a fair trial; Kassem’s lawyers were denied access to his case file and journalists and diplomats were barred from attending the hearing, among other flagrant breaches his due process rights. In protest of his imprisonment, Kassem staged a hunger strike lasting 20 days during his detention.

Kassem was first arrested on 20 August 2023, weeks after co-founding the ‘Free Current,’ a coalition of liberal political parties and public figures. According to a statement from the coalition, which later suspended its political activities in protest of the verdict, Kassem had been seen as a potential candidate in the upcoming presidential elections, a fact that further underscores the clearly political nature of the state’s targeting of him.

The undersigned organizations view the continued targeting of Hisham Kassem and the issuance of successive sentences against him for peacefully expressing his opinions as a dangerous escalation in the Egyptian authorities’ ongoing campaign to silence dissent and punish political opposition. His case once again highlights how laws such as criminal defamation, along with vague and overly broad provisions like ‘disturbing public peace,’ are being weaponized to suppress free expression—even when limited to online criticism.

The use of such legal pretexts against Kassem appears to be aimed at deterring him from addressing sensitive economic and political issues, including the military’s dominance over the economy, the president’s control of the political scene, and the exclusion of independent voices from public discourse. This climate has led to the erosion of the rule of law and the entrenchment of corruption. These prosecutions also represent a new dimension in the ongoing crackdown on dissent, aiming to intimidate not only those within Egypt but also political opponents and exiles abroad. This trend of cross-border repression has been previously flagged by rights groups and has intensified this year amid a notable rise in politically motivated referrals and trials against activists and opposition figures both inside and outside the country.

In light of the in absentia verdict against political activist and rights defender Hisham Kassem, the undersigned human rights organizations affirm that this ruling is part of a broader policy of intimidation and exclusion of peaceful critics in Egypt. Accordingly, we call for the following:

• The immediate annulment of all charges and in absentia sentences issued against Hisham Kassem, an end to all politically motivated judicial harassment targeting him, and a guarantee that legal proceedings will not be used as tools of political retaliation or to restrict fundamental freedoms.
• The immediate release of all individuals detained for their political opinions or peaceful expression, and an end to the systematic use of the judiciary as a means to silence dissent and punish human rights defenders.
• An end to the use of overly broad and vague legislation—such as the Anti-Terrorism Law (No. 94 of 2015) , the Protest Law (No.107 of 2013) of , the Penal Code, the Assembly Law (No.10 of 1914) , and the Cybercrime Law (No.175 of 2018) —against activists and opponents, and the amendment of such laws to bring them in line with international standards.
• A call on the international community, especially Egypt’s international partners, to press the Egyptian government to respect its obligations under international law, particularly the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and to implement the recommendations and decisions of relevant United Nations mechanisms.
• Ensuring that judicial and security cooperation between host countries and Egypt is not used to undermine the rights of Egyptian dissidents abroad, and establishing legal safeguards that guarantee their safety and protect their rights in host countries.

Signatory Organizations:

1. Egyptian Human Rights Forum
2. Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights
3. Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms
4. Their Right
5. Law and Democracy Support Foundation
6. Digital Democracy Now
7. El Nadim Center
8. Cairo Institute For Human Rights Studies
9. Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR)
10. Egyptian Front for Human Rights
11. Unity For Democracy
12. Sinai Foundation for Human Rights
13. Human Rights First
14. EgyptWide for Human Rights
15. HuMENA for Human Rights and Civic Engagement
16. REDWORD for Human Rights & Freedom of Expression
17. Middle East Democracy Center (MEDC)
18. People in Need
19. Dfater Masr
20. EuroMed Rights
21. the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)
22. the Andalus Institute for Tolerance and Anti-Violence Studies

1. Refugees’ platform in Egypt