Preventive detention Mahienour El-Massry prolonged

Egypt

Mahienour El-Massry is a prominent human rights lawyer known for her work to promote judicial independence and prisoners’ rights. In 2014, she was awarded with the renowned Ludovic Trarieux Prize for her outstanding efforts to advance human rights. This is not the first time Mahiebour el-Massry was arrested as a result of adequately discharging her function as a lawyer. Since 2014, she has spent lengthy periods in Egyptian prison under difficult circumstances.

In September 2019, Lawyers for Lawyers expressed its concern about the arrest of Mahienour El-Massry in a letter addressed to the Egyptian authorities and urged the Egyptian government to immediately and unconditionally release Mahienour El-Massry. Despite these efforts by Lawyers for Lawyers as well as numerous other civil society organizations, Mahienour El-Massry remains detained and her preventive detention has been renewed multiple times.

Mahienour El-Massry was arrested on 22 September 2019. Her arrest seems to be connected to her legitimate activities as a lawyer and the representation of detainees that were arrested during demonstrations demanding the resignation of the Egyptian president Abdelfattah Al-Sisi. She is facing charges of “joining an illegal group”, “publishing false news”, and “misuse of social media”. On 23 September 2019, the Supreme State Security Prosecution ordered 15 days of preventive detention for Mahienour El-Massry. This preventive detention has been renewed on 20 October 2019, on 3 November 2019, and again on 18 November 2019 for “investigative purposes”.

Lawyers for Lawyers continues to urge the Egyptian government to immediately and unconditionally release Mahienour El-Massry, to protect her integrity and safety, and to enable all human rights defenders in Egypt to effectively carry out their work.