Families of political detainees in Egypt have launched a new international association aimed at campaigning for prisoners' release and representing their relatives before Egyptian and international institutions.
The Families of Egyptian Detainees Association (FEDA) announced its formation on Thursday, saying it would seek practical solutions to what it described as a 13-year detention crisis and press for improved prison conditions and fair trials.
In its founding statement, FEDA said its main objective was to bring an end to "the tragedy that has continued for 13 years" by pursuing measures that could lead to the release of political detainees.
"Our hands are extended to everyone who can contribute to closing this painful chapter," the association said.
The group's launch coincides with the 13th anniversary of the Rabaa and Nahda massacres on 14 August 2013, when Egyptian security forces violently dispersed two sit-ins by supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi in Cairo.
Over 1000 were killed in the operations, a defining moment in the crackdown that followed Morsi's removal by the military the previous month.
FEDA said it intends to bring together families of Egyptian detainees inside the country and abroad, keep their cases on the domestic and international agenda and represent them before relevant bodies.
The association said it would use legal and political channels to seek prisoners' release and push for fair trials and detention conditions that comply with Egyptian law and international standards.
Its plans include approaching Egyptian and international institutions, political and religious leaders, and figures working in politics, media and human rights.
FEDA also intends to visit the United Nations and bodies dealing with detention and enforced disappearance, pursue legal cases over alleged abuses and organise solidarity events.
Egyptian authorities do not publish an official figure for the number of people currently detained on political grounds.
Previous estimates by rights organisations have put the number detained since 2013 in the tens of thousands.
Human Rights Watch estimated in 2017 that around 60,000 people had been imprisoned on political grounds since that year, although that cannot be treated as a current estimate of those presently held.
Rights organisations say political detention has affected journalists, activists, human rights defenders, protesters, academics and political opponents, as well as people detained over expression or political activity.
In its 2026 World Report, Human Rights Watch said thousands remained in prolonged pretrial detention or were serving sentences following trials it considered unfair, while arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, torture and other forms of ill-treatment continued to be reported.
FEDA said detainees face problems including inadequate medical treatment, poor food and ventilation, overcrowding and restrictions on family visits and access to books, newspapers and news.
Human Rights Watch said detainees continued to be held during 2025 in conditions it described as amounting to ill-treatment, including denial of healthcare and prolonged solitary confinement, while dozens of deaths in detention were documented.
Egypt's government launched its National Human Rights Strategy in September 2021, pledging improvements to detention conditions, protection against torture and greater oversight of detention facilities.
The strategy also referred to expanding conditional release, presidential pardons and other measures aimed at reducing the prison population.
International rights organisations, however, have repeatedly said there remains a substantial gap between those commitments and practices on the ground.
FEDA said its establishment was intended to move families from individual campaigning towards a more organised effort, arguing that prolonged detention has imposed lasting social, economic and psychological consequences on prisoners' relatives.
The association stressed that it was not aligned with any particular political movement, saying its purpose was to represent detainees' families and work with Egyptian and international institutions to bring the political detention crisis to an end.