The Egyptian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Oqba Hashad, an Egyptian student who has been held in prolonged pre-trial detention for nearly six years solely as punishment for his brother’s human rights activism, Amnesty International said today. This demand is amplified by a significant surge in global support, evidenced by the nearly 33,000 petition signatures gathered by Amnesty International’s Write for Rights campaign demanding his freedom.
Since his arbitrary arrest on 20 May 2019, the Egyptian authorities have subjected Oqba Hashad to a catalogue of human rights violations, including enforced disappearance, torture and other ill-treatment including beatings, electric shocks, and denial of adequate healthcare. The authorities have failed to provide Oqba Hashad with a functional prosthetic leg – his right leg was amputated above the knee following a childhood accident. While the prison administration began procedures to provide him with a prosthetic leg in February 2025, over a year after his family’s request, he has yet to receive it. They have also refused to grant him specialized medical care, including access to antiseptics and sterilization tools needed for his stump.
“Oqba Hashad has been the victim of a cruel and blatant miscarriage of justice. He should never have been detained in the first place let alone been forced to spend nearly six years unjustly behind bars. It’s high time for the Egyptian authorities to heed the calls from tens of thousands of people worldwide demanding his release, by putting an end to his agonizing ordeal and releasing him immediately and unconditionally,” said Souleimene Benghazi, Amnesty International’s Egypt Campaigner.
Oqba Hashad has been the victim of a cruel and blatant miscarriage of justice.
Souleimene Benghazi, Amnesty International’s Egypt Campaigner
The Egyptian authorities have continued to indefinitely detain Oqba Hashad without trial, beyond the two-year legal limit for pre-trial detention, through the abusive practice of “rotation”. On 20 February 2024, a judge ordered his release, but instead, security forces subjected him to enforced disappearance from 22 February to 2 March 2024, before he was detained in a new case on similar charges of joining and financing a terrorist group.
“The fact that Oqba Hashad was charged with fresh bogus charges instead of being released after the pre-trial detention limit is outrageous. This blatant manipulation of the legal system highlights the authorities’ contempt for international law. It also underscores the urgent need for the international community to press the Egyptian authorities to end this grave injustice once and for all,” said Souleimene Benghazi.
Oqba Hashad’s prolonged and inhumane detention have taken a significant toll on his physical and mental health. The lack of a prosthetic leg has led to severe back pain and significantly impedes his mobility. Relatives have reported to Amnesty International a dramatic decline in his mental well-being.
Background on Oqba Hashad and Write for Rights
Oqba Hashad’s case featured in Amnesty International’s Write for Rights annual global campaign which aims to raise awareness and demand justice for individuals whose human rights are under threat. A petition calling for Oqba Hashad’s release has garnered nearly 33,000 signatures, demonstrating the widespread concern for his plight.
During his detention Oqba Hashad was interrogated multiple times about activities of his brother, Amr Hashad, a human rights activist who left Egypt in 2019. Security forces had arrested Amr Hashad in 2014 in connection with his activism with the student union at Assiut University. He was sentenced to three years in prison after being convicted of “joining a terrorist organization, attempting to overthrow the government and inciting protests.” Amr Hashad has continued to document human rights violations in Egypt while in exile.
Header image of Oqba Hashad © Private
