The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan on “rotation” practice by Egyptian Government that facilitates detention of critics arbitrarily and for prolonged periods.
“We call on Egyptian authorities to put an end to the practice known as “rotation”, which allows Government critics to be held arbitrarily and for prolonged periods, even after serving their sentences or completing maximum pretrial detention,” UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan said.
“Human rights defenders, activists, lawyers, journalists, peaceful protesters and political opponents have been targeted by this “rotation” practice. It entails the authorities bringing new charges against individuals when they are about to complete their prison sentences or as they reach the maximum legal period of pretrial detention, thus preventing their release,” he told reporters at the UN bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
The latest case concerns poet Galal El-Behairy, who was arbitrarily detained after completing a prison term on 31 July 2021 for writing songs and poetry critical of the Government. Since then, he has faced similar charges in two different cases under the counter-terrorism law and the penal code. The latest charges were brought against him on 19 August 2025, extending his detention for at least 15 more days.
In addition to El-Behairy’s case, this practice has been used in the case of writer and activist Alaa Abdel Fattah; lawyer and former member of the National Council for Human Rights, Hoda Abdel-Moneim; lawyer and coordinator of the Association of the Families of the Forcibly Disappeared, Ebrahim Metwally Hegazy; andpolitical activist and former spokesperson for the 6th of April Youth Movement, Mohammad Adel Fahmy Ali. All of them remain in arbitrary detention.
“Most of those targeted by “rotation” should not have been detained or jailed in the first place, as the charges brought against them are often related to the exercise of their legitimate rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. It has become a tool by which the Egyptian Government represses those perceived to be critical of its policies,” Al-Kheetan said.
It is crucial that Egyptian authorities ensure that the application of counterterrorism or other criminal laws is never used to punish people for exercising their basic human rights.
“The Egyptian Government must immediately stop this practice of “rotation” and release all those who have been subjected to it. All those arbitrarily detained for exercising their fundamental freedoms or defending human rights must be released immediately,” the spokesperson stated.
For more information and media requests, please contact
Ravina Shamdasani: +41 22 917 9169 / ravina.shamdasani@un.org
Jeremy Laurence: +41 22 917 9383 / jeremy.laurence@un.org
Thameen Al-Kheetan: +41 22 917 4232 / thameen.alkheetan@un.org
Tag and share - Twitter: @UNHumanRights and Facebook: unitednationshumanrights
STORY: UN Human Rights Spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan on “rotation” practice by Egyptian Government that facilitates detention of critics arbitrarily and for prolonged periods
TRT: 01:49
SOURCE: OHCHR/ UNOG
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: English/NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 26 August 2025 – GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
- Exterior shot: Palais des Nations
- Wide shots: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Thameen Al-Kheetan, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “We call on Egyptian authorities to put an end to the practice known as “rotation”, which allows Government critics to be held arbitrarily and for prolonged periods, even after serving their sentences or completing maximum pretrial detention.”
- Cutaways:
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Thameen Al-Kheetan, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “Human rights defenders, activists, lawyers, journalists, peaceful protesters and political opponents have been targeted by this “rotation” practice. It entails the authorities bringing new charges against individuals when they are about to complete their prison sentences or as they reach the maximum legal period of pretrial detention, thus preventing their release.”
- Cutaways:
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Thameen Al-Kheetan, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “Most of those targeted by “rotation” should not have been detained or jailed in the first place, as the charges brought against them are often related to the exercise of their legitimate rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. It has become a tool by which the Egyptian Government represses those perceived to be critical of its policies.”
- Cutaways:
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Thameen Al-Kheetan, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “The Egyptian Government must immediately stop this practice of “rotation” and release all those who have been subjected to it. All those arbitrarily detained for exercising their fundamental freedoms or defending human rights must be released immediately.”
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , UNICEF
DR Congo: Ebola spreads as agencies brace for child infections
The deadly Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is continuing to spread with a spike in child infections an increasingly likely scenario, UN agencies said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Community trust and lab testing at the heart of DRC Ebola response – WHO
In Ebola-stricken eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) a massive push for early testing and contact tracing is underway to contain the virus, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNFPA
The UN in Lebanon appealed for an additional $331.5 million on Friday to help 1.4 million people in crisis as already massive needs continue to grow, three months after deadly violence erupted between Hezbollah fighters and Israeli forces.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNIFIL
UN Security Council meets amid rising Israel-Hezbollah tensions in Lebanon.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the biweekly press briefing in Geneva, UN Human Rights spokesperson made the following remarks deplored the death in State custody of Brooklyn Rivera in Nicaragua.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Lebanon: Tyre hospital strikes leave patients without critical care – WHO
The UN health agency in Lebanon is verifying reports of strikes on a hospital in the southern city of Tyre on Monday, amid a concerning rise in attacks on healthcare in the country.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | WMO
El Niño confirmed, extreme weather events will be more intense, says WMO
The UN urged all countries on Tuesday to bolster early warning systems after confirming the onset of El Niño, warning that the Pacific Ocean-warming phenomenon will bring above-average temperatures “nearly everywhere” and fuel more extreme weather.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
‘A disease you get when you care for someone’: on the frontlines of the Ebola crisis with WHO
Two weeks into the latest Ebola outbreak, the World Health Organization (WHO) is estimating that there are 906 suspected cases of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), including 223 suspected deaths.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on 29 May called for more robust measures by both states and tech companies to make online platforms safer for children, insisting on effective regulation, oversight and accountability. The digital world that connects children to learning, community and creativity also expose them to real risks, to their safety, to their privacy, and to their well-being. Online harms to kids’ safety, privacy, and well-being are not innate or inevitable.
See High Commissioner video: https://media.un.org/unifeed/en/asset/d357/d3579089
1
1
1
Edited News | UNRWA , WHO
Gaza: Life-saving medicines blocked as killing continues, disease gains ground
In Gaza, a dire humanitarian situation marked by continuing violence, rodent infestations and the spread of diseases is being made worse by blockages of essential medical supplies, UN agencies warned on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights spokesperson Shabia Mantoo, warned against the continuing trend of involuntary returns of Afghan refugees and asylum-seekers from host countries to Afghanistan, in violation of international human rights and refugee law, at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
