On 21 September, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi returned a proposed Criminal Procedure Code to the House of Representatives for further review, rather than signing it into law after its parliamentary approval, a rarity in Egypt. The draft law had drawn criticism from human rights organizations for limiting defendants’ rights and expanding prosecutorial powers. The presidency said the decision responded to the ‘numerous appeals’ calling for amendments. Civil society and rights groups, which had actively campaigned against the bill, welcomed the move as an opportunity to strengthen legal safeguards. Parliament is expected to consider the presidential objections in upcoming sessions.

Sources: Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy

On 22 September, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi issued a presidential pardon for six prisoners, including prominent activist and writer Alaa Abd Fattah. A leading figure in the 2011 uprising, Alaa Abd Fattah had spent nearly 12 years in prison, with his most recent sentence stemming from a 2021 conviction for ‘spreading false news’ following a social media post in which he denounced the violent death of a detainee in custody. His release followed sustained advocacy by civil society organizations and family members, who had long campaigned for his freedom, as well as international pressure. While rights groups welcomed the pardon as a positive step, they emphasized that thousands remain detained in the country on politically motivated charges.

Sources: Ahram Online, The New Arab, Reporters without borders, Middle East Eye

On 4 and 5 August, Egypt held Senate elections to fill 200 of the chamber’s 300 seats, with the remaining 100 appointed by the President. This marked the second Senate election since the chamber’s reinstatement in 2019. Egyptians living abroad voted earlier, on 1 and 2 August. Runoffs were held between 25 and 28 August in five regions. The National Unified List, a coalition of 12 pro-government parties led by the ruling Nation’s Future Party, ran unopposed and won all 100 list-based seats. The remaining 100 seats were elected in single member constituencies, with government-aligned parties, led by the Nation’s Future Party, also dominating. A quota reserves 30 seats (10 per cent of the chamber) for women. Voter turnout was low, standing at 17.1 per cent, although marking an increase from the previous 2020 senate election, in which turnout stood at 14.2 per cent.

Sources: Ahram Online, State Information System, British Broadcasting Corporation Arabic, IPU Parline

In June, authorities carried out mass detentions and deportations, forcibly dispersing the ‘Global March to Gaza,’ a transnational solidarity campaign involving over 4,000 participants from more than 80 countries. The group aimed to travel from Arish in North Sinai to the Rafah border crossing, the only gateway between Egypt and Gaza, to protest Israel's blockade of humanitarian aid into Gaza. More than 200 participants were detained or interrogated upon arrival at Cairo International Airport or at their hotels, with many subsequently deported. Others were intercepted near Ismailia, where buses and convoys were stopped and dispersed. Egyptian nationals participating in or expressing solidarity with the marchers were also arrested. Rights groups reported abuses by the authorities, including beatings, electric shocks and denial of consular access.

Sources: Mada Masr (1), Mada Masr (2), Haaretz, Committee for Justice, Amnesty International, Middle East Eye

On 16 December, President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi ratified Egypt's first asylum law, which transfers responsibility for asylum processing from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to a newly established government body, the Permanent Committee for Refugee Affairs. According to the government, the law is designed to bring Egypt's asylum procedures in line with international standards. However, rights groups have raised concerns, claiming that the law threatens the rights of asylum seekers and refugees. They point to vague exclusion criteria, the criminalization of irregular entry, and restrictions on refugees' political activities as particularly problematic. Additionally, vaguely defined emergency powers have sparked fears that they could be misused to arbitrarily deny asylum claims. Approximately 800,000 refugees and asylum-seekers registered with the UN Refugee Agency in Egypt.

Sources: Egyptian Official Gazette, Al-Shorouk, The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch