Egyptian authorities have summoned former presidential candidate Ahmed Tantawi from his prison cell for questioning in two new cases before returning him to detention, his lawyer Khaled Ali said on Sunday.
Tantawi, who had sought to challenge President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in the 2023 election, was charged by state security prosecutors with “inciting a terrorist act and inciting a public gathering” over calls for protests against the Gaza war last October, according to Ali. Tantawi has denied all charges.
Although prosecutors formally “released” him after the questioning, the cases remain open, meaning Tantawi can be recalled for further interrogation at any time, Ali explained.
Tantawi is currently serving a one-year prison sentence and is expected to be released late next month. He was convicted alongside 22 members of his campaign for “circulating election-related papers without official authorisation” in the lead-up to the December 2023 presidential election, which Sisi won by a wide margin.
Human rights organisations have long criticised Egypt’s use of what they call a “revolving door policy,” where detainees facing release are often charged in new cases to extend their imprisonment.
Tantawi previously accused authorities of obstructing his presidential bid by blocking efforts to collect the required official endorsements, citing computer failures and other pretexts. In response, he encouraged supporters to complete unofficial “popular endorsement” forms, a move the government treated as a form of election fraud.
Ultimately, Tantawi gathered just 14,000 endorsements, falling well short of the 25,000 signatures needed from at least 15 different governorates to secure a place on the ballot. He formally withdrew his candidacy before the December vote.
Rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, criticised the election process, saying the government used “an array of repressive tools to eliminate potential challengers,” including the detention of other opposition figures like Hisham Kassem.
Despite international condemnation, Sisi secured re-election with 89.6 percent of the vote. The United Nations had called for Tantawi’s release as early as May last year, but he remains entangled in Egypt’s legal system as fresh charges prolong his incarceration.
