Former CDM spokesperson arrested from car after social media post on military

The National Security Agency arrested former spokesperson of the Civil Democratic Movement (CMD) Yehia Hussein Abdel Hady in the early hours of Thursday, according to his lawyer Khaled Ali. 

He was brought before the State Security Prosecution where he was handed a 15-day detention order pending investigations into charges of joining a terrorist organization, misusing social media platforms, broadcasting and publishing false news, and financing and inciting terrorism.

Abdel Hady was arrested by security personnel in civilian clothing on Wednesday evening, while he was in a car with the former coordinator of the National Association for Change, Abdel Galil Mostafa who spoke to Mada Masr. 

The former CDM spokesperson’s arrest comes after he published a post on his Facebook page on July 23 titled “For how long will the army remain silent?” where he criticized the state, the political opposition and leaders of the Armed Forces. 

During the investigation session, the prosecution asked Abdel Hady about the post and then informed him of his charges. Following the investigation session, Abdel Hady was transferred to the 10th of Ramadan detention facility.

According to Mostafa, he was in the car with Abdel Hady on their way to Dokki to attend an event at the headquarters of the Karama Party. As soon as they stopped at a traffic light, another car stopped next to them and five people in civilian clothing got out and took Abdel Hady from the car. 

In January, the Nasr City Misdemeanor Court issued a one-year prison sentence against Abdel Hady on charges of “spreading false news inside and outside of the country.” The ruling stemmed from three articles he wrote between August 2022 and March 2023 where he also criticized state bodies and policies. 

Then in April, the ruling was upheld by the Nasr City Misdemeanor Appeals Court. However, it was suspended for the duration of three years from its issuance. 

Abdel Hady was granted parole in June 2022 by the Presidential Pardon Committee, after he was sentenced to four years in prison in 2021 under the Emergency Law. Charges against him at the time were also the intentional publishing of false news inside and outside of the country. 

Several opposition figures and entities condemned Abdel Hady’s arrest, including the Constitution Party, which expressed its “severe annoyance” at the manner of his arrest. Opposition figure and blogger Hisham Kassem also called for the political opposition to withdraw from the National Dialogue. 

The dialogue was launched in April 2022 as a public consultation process on political life in the country called for by the president in April and heralded as a forum for inclusive discussion. Various opposition figures have demanded the release of political prisoners as a guarantee of the forum’s seriousness, including the CDM.