HRC 61 Item 9 Systematic Religious Persecution: The Case of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light in Egypt

Human Rights Council
61st regular session of the Human Rights Council
23 February – 02 April 2026 Item 9 General Debate

By : International Support For Human Rights

We are deeply concerned by allegations of arbitrary detention and torture of the members Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light in Egypt.

This case, occurring between March and April 2025, illustrates a grave example of religious intolerance and discrimination. This seriously violates the Durban Declaration, which obliges states to combat all forms of intolerance and hatred.

Following coordinated arrests, detainees were subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment, including enforced disappearances. They were denied access to lawyers and their families.

This reveals a systematic strategy of targeting minorities. Several reported torture, including electric shocks, driven by hatred of their religious identity.

Since March 2025, they have been held in prolonged detention on vague charges aimed at suppressing religious diversity. These practices deprive victims of fair trial guarantees and human dignity.

We urge the United Nations to shed light on these cases and to press the Egyptian authorities to release these individuals immediately and unconditionally, ending this persecution.

We also call on the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to investigate the torture allegations and demand that Egypt fulfil its obligations fully.