Date of 1st day in prison: 03/12/2013 Released: Yes Restrictions: None |
Ahmed Douma is a prominent political activist in Egypt and was one of the founders of both the Kefaya and April 6 Youth Movement. He was imprisoned 18 times under the regimes of Mubarak and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and twice under Morsi’s presidency.
On 9 January 2019, Ahmed was sentenced to 15 years in prison and given a 6 million EGP fine by a Cairo criminal court as part of a case known as the Cabinet clashes, dating back to 2011, when military forces violently dispersed a demonstration in front of the Cabinet building and clashed with protesters. Ahmed was initially brought to court in May 2012, along with other defendants on charges of assaulting police, unlawful assembly and vandalising property. He was given a life sentence in February 2015. However, this sentence was overturned in October 2017 and his retrial began several months later, ending in January 2019.
Ahmed has also been given sentences in three other cases. In December 2013, he was sentenced to three years in prison and a fine on protest-related charges. This decision was upheld by the Court of Cassation in January 2015. He was given another three years in prison and a fine in December 2014 for insulting the judiciary. However, this sentence was overturned in May 2017 and only the fine was upheld. Finally, in January 2016, he was charged with assaulting a police office on the way to court and given 6 months in prison, subsequently reduced to one month.
On 27 July 2022, several human rights NGOs called for the Prosecution to investigate the reported torture and assault to which Ahmed was subject following altercations that occurred with the prison administration over their medical negligence and delay in providing emergency medical care to researcher Ahmed Santawy, who was released a few days later.
December 2022 marked his 10th year in prison. Over 900 individuals and rights groups renewed their call for his immediate release.
Ahmed has been held in Bader prison, where security cameras and lights are turned on 24/7. He has also noticed he is under constant surveillance. Any attempt he made to obtain his basic rights in detention led him to some type of punishment. In January 2023, Ahmed reported he had been forbidden from any hot meals after he refused to enter his cell without adequate clothing for the cold. In February, Ahmed’s family expressed their concerns on his detention conditions since his transfer from Tora to Badr prison, particularly because he has been spending his outdoor time with alleged Daesh members who have been verbally assaulting him.
In March 2023, Ahmed informed his family that the violations against him were ongoing and that he was refused further analyses and medical treatment on his kidneys. He also showed signs of a heart malfunction and a potential stroke but has been denied adequate medical care. Furthermore, the letter correspondence with his family was controlled and censored by the prison authorities.
Ahmed Douma was released on 20 August 2023, after receiving the presidential pardon. He spent over ten years in prison.
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