Egypt Renews Detention of Nine People in Sheikh Hassan Shehata Case Amid Shiite Detention Concerns
Egypt Renews Detention of Nine People in Sheikh Hassan Shehata Case Amid Shiite Detention Concerns
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Egypt’s Supreme State Security Prosecution has ordered the renewal of the detention of nine people for 15 days pending investigations in Case No. 5635 of 2026, known publicly as the “Shiite case.”
The detainees are facing allegations including “joining and financing a terrorist group.” The latest decision comes as part of a series of judicial measures in a case that has involved the detention of a number of Shiite Muslims in Egypt in recent months.
The case began following a wave of arrests targeting several Shiite Muslims in Cairo in June, coinciding with the period marking Ashura. The number of people included in the investigations reportedly increased in the weeks that followed.
On September 24, the Supreme State Security Prosecution ordered the release of 10 defendants of various nationalities in connection with the same case. They included four Yemeni nationals, as well as citizens of Saudi Arabia, New Zealand, Libya and Syria.
At the same time, pretrial detention has continued for a number of Egyptian defendants. Egyptian human rights organizations have called for the release of the remaining detainees and an end to prosecutions related to their religious beliefs and practices.
