Filmmakers behind the award-winning drama-thriller Eagles of the Republic are demanding the immediate release of actor Hassan El Sayed, who is being held in Egypt on what they say are trumped up charges for participating in the film.
“We stand by the principle that art must never become a pretext for punishment,” producers Linus Stöhr Torell, Johan Lindström, Linda Mutawi, Alexandre Mallet-Guy, co-producers Monica Hellström, Misha Jaari, and Mark Lwoff, and executive producer Emil Wiklund write in a letter addressed to Public Prosecutor Mohamed Shawky Ayyad. The letter, shared with Deadline, adds, “We are particularly troubled by reports of Hassan El Sayed’s enforced disappearance, limited access to legal counsel, and the impact of his detention on his mental well-being.” [See the full text below].
Amnesty International is also calling for El Sayed’s release. The rights group says on its website, “On 20 December 2025, Egyptian national and Danish resident Hassan El Sayed was arrested upon his arrival at Cairo International Airport. National Security Agency officials questioned him about his role in the movie Eagles of the Republic, where he appeared very briefly as a priest. Following his arrest, he was taken before a prosecutor, who ordered his pretrial detention pending investigations into the charge of ‘joining a terrorist group while being aware of its objectives.’”
Actor Fares Fares (right) in ‘Eagles of the Republic’
Cohen Media Group
Eagles of the Republic premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last May. It stars actor Fares Fares in the story of a famed actor who is forced to portray Egypt’s actual president, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, in a project meant to appeal to El-Sisi’s vanity. Hassan El Sayed, the actor detained in Cairo, appears on screen in the film for only about 20 seconds.
“Hassan El Sayed is not a political figure nor is he engaged in activism, he is an actor. He is a private individual and long-time Danish resident who, like many others, occasionally participates in film productions in minor roles. His involvement in Eagles of the Republic was extremely limited,” the filmmakers write in their letter to the prosecutor, “performed without access to the full script or broader narrative context of the film.”
The letter continues, “We wish to state clearly and unequivocally that Hassan El Sayed had no influence over the content, message, or framing of the film. As producers, we bear full responsibility for the artistic and editorial decisions behind the work.”
The producers add, “Film is a medium of artistic expression, and participation in a film, especially in such a minor capacity, must never be grounds for detention or prosecution. To hold an individual criminally liable for a brief, acting role constitutes a serious violation of fundamental human rights, including the right to freedom of expression and artistic participation.”
The letter contains four demands in bullet-point format, addressed “respectfully but firmly” to the Egyptian counsellor, Mohamed Shawky Ayyad:
● The immediate and unconditional release of Hassan El Sayed
●The dropping of all charges against him
●Full access to his legal counsel and family
●Assurance of his safe return to his family in Denmark
Ayyad is no mere “district attorney.” He was sworn in by President El-Sisi himself in 2023 as prosecutor-general. He reportedly served previously as an assistant minister of justice.
Amnesty International is asking supporters to “take action” on behalf of El Sayed by writing to Ayyad. It provides a “model letter” that includes this paragraph:
“Hassan El Sayed is currently detained in the 10th of Ramadan prison. His lawyer is barred from visiting him and can only visit him during online hearings. Hassan El Sayed’s family last visited him on 14 March, and said that while he remains physically stable, his mental health was severely impacted by his detention.”
IMDb lists more than a dozen acting credits for El Sayed, including Cairo Conspiracy (2022), The Charmer (2017), and Flow (2014).
This is the letter from the Eagles of the Republic team addressed to the public prosecutor:
Courtesy of producers of ‘Eagles of the Republic’
