Journalist Mohamed Fahmy started the group with his fiancee Marwa Omara in 2015. Their first case was Mahmoud Abou Zeid, known as "Shawkan", a photojournalist who is in prison in Egypt. the Fahmi Foundation also tried to help American journalist Jason Rezaian in Iran, Ahmed Ziada in Egypt, and Mohamed Al-Ajami, a Qatari poet. Jason Rezaian was free in January 2016.