/ / EGYPT: EGYPTIAN ARBITRARILY DETAINED FOR ROLE IN MOVIE

EGYPT: EGYPTIAN ARBITRARILY DETAINED FOR ROLE IN MOVIE

UA: 18.26

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On December 20, 2025, Egyptian national and Danish resident Hassan El Sayed was arrested upon his arrival at Cairo International Airport. National Security Agency officials questioned him about his role in the movie, The Eagles of the Republic, where he appeared very briefly as a priest. Following his arrest, he was taken before a prosecutor, who ordered his pretrial detention pending investigations into the charge of “joining a terrorist group while being aware of its objectives”. Since then, his pretrial detention in case No. 4529 of the Supreme State Security Prosecution (SSSP) has been renewed. The Egyptian authorities must immediately release Hassan El Sayed and drop all charges against him as he is detained solely for the peaceful exercise of his human rights. Authorities must allow him to safely reunite with his family in Denmark.

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PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: September 16, 2026

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Step 1

READ THE FULL URGENT ACTION

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Remember to send your letter by September 16, 2026.

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Sample Letter

Dear Counselor,

I am concerned about the arrest and arbitrary detention of Hassan El Sayed since December 20, 2025. Security forces questioned him regarding his twenty second appearance in the movie, The Eagles of the Republic, in which he played a Coptic Christian priest. The film was released during the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

Following his arrest, Hassan El Sayed was subjected to enforced disappearance for five days, from December 20 and 25. During this time, his family had no information about his fate or whereabouts. It was later revealed that security forces had taken him to the Supreme State Security Prosecution (SSSP) on December 22, where he was questioned by a prosecutor without a lawyer present. Since then, Hassan El Sayed has appeared seven times before the SSSP in online hearings that last only a few minutes. He remains in pretrial detention pending investigations into unfounded charges of “joining a terrorist group while being aware of its objectives”, an offense punishable by up to 15 years in prison. He is currently detained in the 10th of Ramadan prison, where his lawyer is barred from visiting him and can only communicate with him during online hearings.

I urge you to ensure that Hassan El Sayed is immediately and unconditionally released and that all charges against him are dropped. He must also be reunited with his family in Denmark. Pending his release, he must be held in conditions that meet international standards and be granted access to adequate healthcare, as well as his family and lawyers.

Yours sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]

Sample Social Post

I urge @EgyptianPPO to immediately release Hassan El Sayed, arbitrarily detained since Dec 20, 2025 after a brief role in Eagles of the Republic. He’s been denied due process and contact with his lawyer. He must also be reunited with his family in Denmark #UrgentActionNetwork

Send a Tweet to @EgyptianPPO

Step 2

Send your message

Mail your letter to the government officials listed below. You can also email or post about them on social media.

Send your letter to:

Public Prosecutor Mohamed Shawky Ayyad

Office of the Public Prosecutor, Cairo, Arab Republic of Egypt;

Fax: +202 2577 4716

@EgyptianPPO

and

CC: Egyptian Embassy in the United States, Ambassador Motaz Zahran

Send a copy of your letter to the address below

3521 International Court, NW,

Washington DC 20008

[email protected]

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