Egypt arrests commentator Ahmed Douma over article and posts

Washington, D.C., April 7, 2026 — The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Egyptian authorities to immediately release political commentator Ahmed Douma, who was arrested on April 6 at the Supreme State Security Prosecution headquarters following a six-hour interrogation, which ordered his detention for four days pending investigation.

Douma is facing several charges, including publishing “false news and rumors inside and outside the country that would disturb public order,” stemming from an article for the London-based news website The New Arab, entitled “From a Prison Within the State to a State Within the Prison,” as well as posts on his personal social media accounts.

“This is the sixth interrogation in less than two years in which political commentator Ahmed Douma has been accused of spreading false news, underscoring the systematic crackdown on writers and the press in Egypt,” said CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah. “Douma should be released immediately, and the charges against him dropped. Egyptian authorities must stop weaponizing ‘false news’ accusations to silence journalists.”

Douma was arrested despite Article 134 of Egypt’s Criminal Procedure Law, as well as Article 71 of the Egyptian Constitution, which explicitly states that “no custodial sanction shall be imposed for crimes committed by way of publication,” according to the Cairo-based Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights.

Douma is a poet, former political prisoner, and political commentator whose work has appeared in several outlets, including The New Arab, Arabi21, and the independent platform Sotour.

Egypt remains one of the world’s leading jailers of journalists, with 18 currently behind bars, including Douma.

CPJ’s request for comment from Egypt’s Public Prosecutor’s Office did not receive an immediate response.