El-Behairy will be awarded the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award in absentia at the 2025 PEN America Literary Gala on May 15, 2025.
Egyptian poet and lyricist Galal El-Behairy has been jailed since 2018—unjustly charged with multiple charges, the most serious, “terrorism,” solely for the power of his words. Born in 1990, El-Behairy had his youth stolen from him after writing the lyrics for the song “Balaha” and a poetry collection titled The Finest Women on Earth. These works were cited as evidence of his so-called crimes, and he was sentenced to three years in prison by a military court. After serving his full sentence, El-Behairy was not released; instead he was kept under indefinitely renewed pretrial detention. His sharp, lyrical, and unapologetically critical voice challenged authority—and for that, he was silenced.
Yet from the darkness and isolation of the notorious Badr Security Complex in Cairo, El-Behairy has refused to be broken. In March 2023, on the fifth anniversary of his arrest, he began a hunger strike, vowing to reclaim his life or give it up in the fight for his freedom. His body has withered under the weight of injustice; his mind has been battered by solitary confinement, deprived of books, writing materials, and basic human dignity. Still, his spirit endures. El-Behairy continues to send letters—fragments of resistance—to the outside world. His poetry and words have become symbols of fearless defiance.
