19 January 2026 – Arrest and free on bail

On Monday, 19 January 2026, Security agents arrested Ahmed Douma at his home in Cairo without disclosing the reason for his arrest and took him to an unknown location.  The following day he was interrogated by the Supreme State Security Persecution (SSSP) concerning charges of ‘disseminating false news inside and outside the country’ in relation to his online posts about the alleged assault of imprisoned activist Mohamed Adel. 

Douma was handcuffed and blindfolded for almost 12 hours before he was interrogated.  During his arrest, security agents confiscated many of his electronic devices, including two mobile phones, a laptop, an iPad, a camera, a hard disk and flash drives.  The seized devices contained archives of Douma’s writings, including those written in prison, and drafts of ongoing writing projects, including poetry and short story collections.

The SSSP ordered his release on the same day following a lengthy interrogation into his online commentary on bail of EGP 100,000 (approximately USD 2,120). (source: Pen International)

2 April 2026 – Summoned for interview

On 2 April, Douma’s family received a summons order on his behalf from the SSSP to attend a questioning on 6 April 2026 in connection with Case No. 2449 of 2026, registered with the SSSP. No details about the case were given.

6 April 2026 – Questioned by SSSP

Ahmed Douma appeared at the SSSP Office on the appointed day, accompanied by his legal team. The SSSP questioned Douma about his social media commentary and an article he wrote for Al-Araby Aljadid in March titled ‘From a Prison Inside the State to a State inside a Prison’, despite the website being blocked in Egypt. In the article, Douma argues against the increasing normalisation of imprisonment as a means to silence critical expression across the Middle East and the devastating societal impact this has across the region. 

The SSSP ordered a four day long pre-trial detention of Douma pending investigation on charges including ‘disseminating false news inside and outside the country to undermine national security’. 

9 April 2026 – Prolonged detention

The SSSP declared a prolonged detention of Douma with an additional 15 days.