Persecuting the Families of Opponents Abroad: Entrenching Collective Punishment and Undermining the Principle of Personal Criminal Liability

🔴 Persecuting the Families of Opponents Abroad: Entrenching Collective Punishment and Undermining the Principle of Personal Criminal Liability

Al‑Shehab Human Rights Center expresses its deep concern about the escalating, systematic pattern of raids and detention of relatives of Egyptian opponents, activists, media professionals, and parliamentarians residing abroad. Using family members as tools for political pressure and revenge turns families into “hostages,” depriving them of the right to express themselves and engage in political activity.

📌 Documented recent detention cases (2026):

The family of opposition figure Mona El‑Shazli (Case No. 4489 of 2026):

Hassan Saber El‑Shazli (brother) — arrested on 19 May 2026

Eid Saber El‑Shazli (brother) — arrested on 19 May 2026

Saber Mohamed Eid El‑Shazli (a family member) — arrested on 19 May 2026

Eman Saber El‑Shazli (sister) — arrested on 17 August 2026

Shaimaa Saber El‑Shazli (sister) — arrested on 18 August 2026

The brother of media professional Amr Abdel Hadi (Case No. 6252 of 2026):

Ahmed Sameer Mohamed Amin (Ahmed Abdel Hadi) — arrested on 16 August 2026

The brother of journalist Abu Bakr Khilaf:

Mohamed Ibrahim Hasb Allah — arrested on 25 August 2026

📌 Expansion of raid campaigns and prior targeting:

A widening geographic scope: raids included citizens’ homes in the governorates of Alexandria, Giza, Sharqia, Dakahlia, and Ismailia.

Precedents documenting the systematic approach: these campaigns are consistent with prior incidents that involved the detention of Hazem Ghoneim (the activist Wael Ghoneim’s brother), the siblings Muath and Muatasem and Muhand El‑Matar (the brothers of media professional Izzat El‑Matar), and Abdeldaem Abdel Allah (the brother of journalist Hisham Abdel Allah).

⚖️ The human-rights and legal position:

These practices constitute a clear violation of Article (95) of the Egyptian Constitution and of international instruments that affirm that punishment must be personal, and that criminal responsibility may not be transferred due to a blood relationship. This turns pretrial detention into a tool for political revenge and collective punishment.

⚖️ Al‑Shehab Center’s demands:

Immediate, unconditional release of all arbitrarily detained relatives of opponents, and the dropping of the charges brought against them.

Immediate disclosure of the locations where they are being held, and enabling them to communicate with their families and their lawyers.

Immediate halt to the use of kinship ties as a tool for pressure and to end the policy of collective punishment.

Opening an independent, comprehensive investigation into the raids and unlawful detentions, and holding those involved accountable.

Allowing human-rights and independent mechanisms to visit places of detention to verify the detainees’ safety and prevent them from being subjected to torture.

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