Galal El-Behairy
Detained Since: March 5, 2018
Charges: Spreading false news; Joining a terrorist organization
Biography: Galal El-Behairy is an Egyptian poet, lyricist, and activist who has been in prison since his arrest at Cairo International Airport in March 2018 while attempting to travel abroad. Before his arrest, El-Behairy had collaborated with musician Ramy Essam on the protest song "Balaha," for which he wrote the lyrics. Just five days after the song's release, he was detained and forcibly disappeared for a week. When he reappeared before the Supreme State Security Prosecution, he showed signs of torture. Authorities charged him with "joining a terrorist group," "spreading false news," and "insulting the President"—charges that were later dropped. However, he remained in custody due to a separate military case related to his poetry. On July 31, 2018, a military court sentenced El-Behairy to three years in prison and fined him 10,000 Egyptian pounds for "spreading false news and rumors" and "insulting the Egyptian army" in his book of poetry, The Finest Women on Earth. The fine was later overturned on appeal. After completing his sentence in July 2021, El-Behairy was subjected to enforced disappearance for three weeks before being brought again before the Supreme State Security Prosecution. He was held in pretrial detention for nearly four years before being hit with two new cases in 2025, including charges of "joining a terrorist group" and "spreading false information." This reflects a broader pattern of "rotation," a tactic used by Egyptian authorities to circumvent legal limits on pretrial detention and prolong the imprisonment of political dissidents. His hearings, originally set for June 6 and 10, 2026, were postponed; he is now set to appear before a judge on August 23, 2026, and September 15, 2026. If convicted, he faces a severe sentence for exercising his right to free expression.
Mr. El-Behairy's health has severely deteriorated during his years in prison, worsened by delayed and restricted medical treatment by Egyptian authorities. He suffers from high blood pressure, joint pain, heart problems, and declining kidney function. Much of this decline has been compounded by repeated hunger strikes he has undertaken in protest of his prolonged detention — including one that stretched past 80 days in 2023, during which his condition grew severe enough that he was hospitalized after refusing even water. His most recent hunger strike began on July 2, 2026, after prison authorities denied him clothing, books, and writing materials that his family had brought for him. Mr. El-Behairy's mental health has also significantly deteriorated. On September 9, 2023, he attempted suicide due to despair over his prolonged arbitrary detention and being denied the chance to attend his younger sister's wedding. He survived after being treated with a gastric lavage at the prison hospital.
Advocate: Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA)
Advocacy Partner: PEN AMERICA