International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk Calls For Release of Egyptian Filmmaker Omar Salah Marei Jailed on Charges of ‘Spreading False News’

May 23, 2026 2:48am PT International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk Calls For Release of Egyptian Filmmaker Omar Salah Marei Jailed on Charges of ‘Spreading False News’

Omar Salah Marei was arrested on May 11 in his Cairo apartment without a warrant

By Nick Vivarelli

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Nick Vivarelli

International Correspondent

@NickVivarelli

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The International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk is calling for the “immediate and unconditional” release of Egyptian director and screenwriter Omar Salah Marei who is being held behind bars in Cairo reportedly on trumped up charges of “deliberately spreading false news,” based on posts on his social media accounts.

Omar Salah Marei, 35 – who is known in Egypt‘s film community for several shorts that blend humor with sharp social and political commentary – was arrested on the evening of May 11 in his Cairo appartment where, according to ICFR, plainclothes security officers “broke down the door, seized four laptops, two phones, cash, and scripts for future projects, and took Omar to an undisclosed location,” without a warrant.

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