Targeted for his lyrics in the protest song “Balaha” and a book of poetry entitled The Finest Women on Earth, El-Behairy was detained in March 2018. He was sentenced to 3 years in prison on national security and “false news” charges. He remains jailed despite serving his full sentence. On the 5th anniversary of his detention, El-Behairy started a hunger strike. He survived a suicide attempt in September 2023.