CAIRO — A number of political activists and dissidents detained in Egyptian prisons have been on a hunger strike for several days now in protest against their ongoing unlawful detention for long and illegal periods. They are also protesting the denial of their basic rights in prisons, including regular visits, exercise time outside their cells and access to books, their families and lawyers told Al-Monitor.

In February, 12 detainees in Egyptian jails began a hunger strike in protest against their pre-trial detention that exceeded the legal limit of two years as stipulated by law. These include political activist Abdel Rahman Tarek; Galal al-Behairy, a poet who has been in pre-trial detention for three years; and political activist Ahmed Maher, who headed the media office of Gen. Sami Anan, Egypt's former military chief of staff and presidential candidate in 2018.

Another one of the detainees who had begun the hunger strike — Walid Shawky, a physician and leading figure of the opposition April 6 Youth Movement — was released in April as part of a presidential pardon. 

Sarah Tarek, the sister of Abdel Rahman Tarek, told Al-Monitor that she fears for the life of her brother who has been in pre-trial detention for more than 2½ years, in poor conditions and in the absence of real charges or a fair trial. His imprisonment was based on the findings of the National Security Agency’s investigations, accusing him of belonging to a terrorist group and spreading false news, she said.