The Committee for Justice (CFJ) has documented that human rights lawyer Osama Abdel‑Hakim Bayoumi, a member of the Lawyers’ Syndicate and a Court of Cassation lawyer, has begun an open‑ended hunger strike inside the Badr Correctional and Rehabilitation Center – Badr (3). Bayoumi has been detained for nearly four years, in protest against his continued arbitrary detention, the severe violations he has endured, and the policy of case recycling, which deprives human rights defenders of their freedom despite the expiration of statutory pretrial detention periods.
According to CFJ, Osama Bayoumi was arrested in the early hours of 30 January 2022 after his home was raided without a judicial warrant or legal justification. He was then subjected to enforced disappearance for four days before appearing before the Supreme State Security Prosecution on 3 February 2022. During interrogation, he faced recurrent, broad charges, including joining a terrorist group, spreading false news, and misuse of social media, in connection with Case No. 640 of 2018 (Supreme State Security).
Following his detention, Bayoumi was transferred to Tora Maximum Security Prison (Al‑Aqrab), where he endured harsh detention conditions, including prolonged denial of contact with his family and lawyers. He was later permitted limited visits conducted behind a glass barrier, in a flagrant violation of the most basic fair‑trial guarantees.
Despite the issuance of a decision ordering his release, the authorities refused to implement it and subjected him to recycling into new cases, namely Case No. 1096 of 2022, Case No. 1222 of 2022, and Case No. 2976 of 2022 (all Supreme State Security cases).
As a result, Osama Bayoumi has become a victim of the systematic practice of case recycling, which deliberately strips human rights defenders of their liberty without scheduling trial hearings—prolonging their legal and humanitarian suffering.
CFJ calls on the Egyptian authorities to immediately release human rights lawyer Osama Bayoumi, put an end to the use of case recycling as a tool of arbitrary repression, and guarantee his right to freedom. The committee further urges full respect for the rights of human rights defenders under Egyptian law and international standards, in a manner that safeguards fundamental freedoms and upholds justice and the rule of law.
