Re-arrest of 2014 Ludovic Trarieux Human Rights Prize Winner Mahienour El-Massry

The UIA deplores the situation of Human Rights Lawyer and 2014 Ludovic Trarieux Prize recipient, Mahienour El-Massry who has been re-arrested on Monday, May 11.

The order for arrest was delivered by the Alexandria Court during the appeal of the case in which Ms. El-Massry, Mr. Youssef Shaban, Mr. Mohamed Ramadan, Mr. Loay Mohamed Abdel Rahman and eight other activists were sentenced last February to two years in prison

In this case, while the defendants had gone to the police station to render legal assistance to activists who had been arrested after clashes between pro- and anti-Morsi factions, they were accused of storming the Al-Raml police station in Alexandria and attacking its officers. The defendants also were accused of torching Muslim Brotherhood headquarters in March 2013.

This most recent Court order constitutes yet further evidence of the continued judicial harassment against Ms. El-Massry, a human rights lawyer known for her activism in favor of judicial independence and prisoners' rights, organizing peaceful protests, support activities for political prisoners and using social media to denounce human rights violations.

The UIA remains profoundly concerned about Mahienour El-Massry and other human rights lawyers who face continuous harassment simply for the exercise of their mandate as citizens’ rights defenders.

The UIA will continue to closely monitor this situation and requests its members to formally express their concerns regarding human rights lawyers and defenders to the Egyptian Government.

Please see the UIA Press release below.

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On September 21, 2015, the El Raml Misdemeanour Court of Appeal in Alexandria rejected the petition filed by Ms. Mahienour El-Massry and two co-defendants to suspend the implementation of their sentence until the Court of Cassation hears the appeal of their case.