Among Them Norhan Daraz and Mohamed Asaad .. New Release Orders for Several Pretrial Detainees
The Supreme State Security Prosecution ordered, on Sunday, 12 April 2026, the release of a number of individuals held in pretrial detention, including clients represented by the Center.
Those released include Norhan El-Sayed Ahmed Daraz in Case No. 3528 of 2024 (State Security Prosecution investigations), and Mohamed Asaad Ahmed Barakat in Case No. 1773 of 2026 (State Security Prosecution investigations).
Security forces had previously arrested Norhan, a retired administrative manager at the Directorate of Social Affairs, from her home in the Hadayek El-Ahram area in Giza Governorate on the evening of 5 August 2024. She was then held in an undisclosed location for 12 days before appearing before the Supreme State Security Prosecution in Fifth Settlement on Saturday, 17 August 2024.
Norhan was interrogated over a post on her Facebook account in which she criticized economic and political conditions. She was subsequently detained for 15 days on charges including joining a banned group, receiving foreign funding, spreading false news, and misuse of social media. She was later transferred to the Women’s Prison in Tenth of Ramadan City.
Norhan reported suffering during her detention due to the denial of medication and blankets, despite her deteriorating health condition requiring specialized medical care. She suffers from a uterine tumor requiring surgical removal, in addition to requiring thyroid medication following a prior thyroidectomy, as well as other chronic conditions that necessitate continuous medical monitoring.
Her family maintained contact with the relevant security authorities, calling for her urgent release and an end to her suffering, citing her urgent medical needs and the absence of legal justification for her continued detention, prior to the prosecution’s decision today to release her.
