On March 10, 2017, Dr. Ahmed Shawky Amasha was arrested and forcibly disappeared, held in an undisclosed location until April 1, 2017, when he appeared before the prosecution. He was charged with “belonging to a banned group” and listed as a terrorist along with over 1,500 others. Detained in Tora Prison, he was reportedly tortured and denied adequate medical care. Although a court ordered his release in September 2019, the decision was delayed, and he was finally released on bail on October 4, 2019.
On June 17, 2020, Dr. Amasha was re-arrested from his home after his wife was coerced into revealing his location. He was forcibly disappeared for 25 days before reappearing on July 12, 2020, before the Supreme State Security Prosecution. He was charged in Case No. 1360/2019 with joining a terrorist group. Despite international outcry, including a European Parliament resolution in December 2020 calling for his immediate and unconditional release, he continued to face detention.
In April 2023, his name was re-listed among 1,526 individuals designated as terrorists for an additional five years, further complicating his legal situation. By February 2024, his trial was postponed yet again, continuing a pattern of deliberate delays to prolong his imprisonment.
Dr. Amasha remains unjustly detained and deprived of family and lawyer visits despite an Administrative Court ruling permitting visitation. His health has deteriorated significantly due to harsh detention conditions and lack of medical care. His ongoing persecution, compounded by rotational detention, underscores the systemic abuse of human rights in Egypt and the urgent need for justice.