Egyptian Communist Party demands political freedoms and release of detainees

The party’s appeal followed President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s remarks on 14 October that the Constitution would not be amended.

The ECP welcomed the president’s statement but argued that assurances alone were insufficient without practical changes. It called for greater freedom for peaceful political and social activity, an end to restrictions on political parties and their members, and the release of people detained over their opinions or expression.

The party also demanded free and fair elections without interference from administrative or security agencies. It stressed that respect for the Constitution should be measured by the implementation of its provisions protecting political, economic, social and cultural rights.

In a separate development, the ECP joined six other left-wing parties and political movements in expressing solidarity with detainees reportedly undertaking hunger strikes or refusing meals to protest their detention conditions and prolonged pre-trial detention. The joint statement, reported on 12 October, called on the authorities and the Ministry of Interior to ensure detainees’ safety and demanded the immediate, unconditional release of those held beyond legal limits for pre-trial detention.

The signatories also called for the release of prisoners of conscience, an end to the repeated use of successive cases to prolong detention, and access to prisons for independent delegations from professional associations and human-rights organisations.

The joint appeal came amid reports of hunger strikes and other protests in Egyptian detention facilities, alongside concerns raised by human-rights organisations about prison conditions and prolonged pre-trial detention. The parties argued that protecting detainees’ rights and ending arbitrary restrictions were essential elements of meaningful political reform.