GENEVA (15 December 2016) – A group of
United Nations experts* has strongly condemned Egypt for escalating its action
against women human rights defenders and women rights groups as part of a
continuing clampdown on civil society.
“The Government’s actions are preventing
women human rights defenders from conducting their legitimate activities and
professions, and are leaving thousands of women in need of support and
security,” the experts said. “The noose is tightening around the women’s rights
movement, and this is having a direct and considerable impact on human rights.”
The experts highlighted the arrest of
lawyer Azza Soliman, a prominent human rights defender who founded the Centre
for Egyptian Women’s Legal Assistance (CEWLA). She was detained on 7
December and questioned by an investigative judge over the highly controversial
case 173/2011, which centers on foreign funding of non-governmental
organizations in Egypt.
“The arrest and investigation of Azza
Soliman demonstrates that the repression of Egypt’s human rights movement has
escalated to a higher level,” the experts said with concern. “Ms. Soliman is a
central figure in the country’s independent women’s rights movement. Targeting
her sends a strong negative signal from the Government about its hostile
position towards women’s rights defenders.”
“The Government must immediately repeal
all repressive measures against human rights defenders, including travel bans
and legislation that criminalizes legitimate activities, as they are not in
compliance with Egypt’s obligations under international human rights law,” they
added.
Despite being freed on bail, Ms. Soliman
still faces charges of having received foreign funding that may “harm the state
interest”, having established an entity that conducts activities similar to
that of associations’ activities and tax evasion.
The group of experts stressed that the
action against Ms. Soliman was not an isolated case.
“We are highly concerned that other human
rights defenders have been charged with similar offences in recent months,”
they noted. “Hundreds of other human rights defenders are living under the threat
of persecution and imprisonment. Many are being prevented from travelling and
are seeing their assets or those of their organisations frozen.”
The experts highlighted that during a
court session on 12 December concerning the decision to freeze Azza Soliman’s
assets and those of her law firm, a request was made to take similar action
against several other human rights defenders. These included another woman
human rights defender, Mozn Hassan - who is already subject to a travel ban -
and her organization Nazra for Feminist Studies.
On 14 December, the North Cairo Court
confirmed the decision to freeze Azza Soliman’s assets and those of her law
firm, while it postponed the verdict issuance for the asset freeze of Mozn
Hassan and her organization to 11 January 2017.
“The continuous persecution of women human
rights defenders such as Azza Soliman and Mozn Hassan through the investigation
of case 173/2011 establishes and reinforces a pattern of systematic repression
of the Egyptian women’s rights movement, aiming to silence and intimidate those
working tirelessly for justice, human rights and equality,” the experts said.
(*) The
experts: Ms. Alda Facio,
Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group on the issue of discrimination against
women in law and in practice; Mr. Michel Forst, Special
Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders; Mr. David
Kaye, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the
right to freedom of opinion and expression; Mr. Maina Kiai,
Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of
association; and Ms. Dubravka Šimonović, Special
Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences.
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