The Committee for Justice (CFJ) has documented a critical deterioration in the health condition of human rights lawyer and defender Ahmed Nazeer El‑Helou, who appeared last Monday before the Criminal Court convened at the Badr Court Complex in an alarming state, amid warnings of an imminent threat to his life.
According to testimonies from lawyers present at the session, El‑Helou was unable to walk, leaning on two guards, before the court—following persistent requests from the defense—allowed him to leave the cage and stand before the bench. During his statement, he confirmed that he suffers from quadriplegia and that all his spinal vertebrae require urgent surgical intervention, due to severe health deterioration after more than three years of prolonged detention.
CFJ noted that El‑Helou’s family had submitted multiple official petitions requesting his transfer to a specialized medical facility, but these appeals were not addressed promptly, resulting in the worsening of his condition. He suffers from serious disc problems, chronic stomach ulcers, and other complications linked to detention conditions and the absence of adequate medical care.
The case dates back to 7 November 2022, when El‑Helou was arrested in front of his home in Cairo and subjected to enforced disappearance for one week, before appearing on 13 November 2022 before the Supreme State Security Prosecution in Case No. 1940/2022, facing charges of spreading false news, misusing social media, and joining a terrorist group.
CFJ stressed that the continued detention of human rights lawyer Ahmed El‑Helou under these critical health conditions, without urgent medical care or lawful alternatives to detention, constitutes a grave violation of the rights to health and life, and breaches constitutional and international standards. The committee calls for his immediate release or urgent transfer to a specialized hospital under independent medical supervision, and an end to what it described as policies of reprisal and unlawful punishment.