Ahmed DOUMA
Poet, writer and activist Ahmed Douma continues to be targeted by Egyptian authorities. In 2024, he was subject to prosecution and smear campaigns in relation to his writings, statements and activism, as well as a physical attack. Since his release from prison in 2023, (see Case List 2022 and 2023/2024) he has remained under a de facto travel ban. His poetry collection Curly remains banned in Egypt.
Despite receiving a presidential pardon in 2023 after over a decade in prison, which the UN WGAD deemed to constitute arbitrary detention, the Egyptian authorities continued to persecute Douma throughout 2024. Since his release, Douma has actively been raising awareness about the situation of detainees in Egyptian prisons. He was also at the forefront of the rare pro-Palestinian protests in Cairo in January 2024. Due to his chants during the protests, he was subject to a smear campaign by pro-government media. A few days following his participation in the protests, a complaint was filed against him by a pro-government lawyer, accusing him of endangering national peace and spreading false news. In July, Douma faced an online smear campaign after pro-government religious figures deemed parts of his 2021 poetry collection Curly as ‘blasphemy.’ On 5 October, the Egyptian Public Prosecutor opened an investigation into complaints against Douma accusing him of writing ‘blasphemous phrases’ in his poetry collection. On 15 October, Douma was physically assaulted by three individuals in plain clothes in an apparent targeted attack. On 10 November, the SSSP released Douma on bail of EGP 20,000 (approximately £315) after an eight-hour investigation concerning statements he made on social media earlier in November about the MV Kathrin, a cargo ship previously linked to transporting weapons to Israel, docking at Egypt’s Port of Alexandria. He was not allowed to have a copy of the case file or to receive details about the complaint that spurred the investigation.
Ahmed Douma, born on 11 September 1985, wrote about his experiences, dreams, and aspirations during his prolonged imprisonment in his 2012 poetry collection صوتك طالع (Your voice is Heard). Security officials demanded Dar El Maraya, his publishers, to remove copies of his 2021 collection Curly at the 2021 Cairo International Book Fair.