Mahienour El-Massry acquitted on appeal
Egypt
According to our information, lawyer Mahienour El-Massry was acquitted on appeal by a court in Alexandria on 13 January 2018. It was reported that she was released on 16 January.
On 18 November 2017, Mahienour El-Massry attended a session of the Misdemeanour court in Alexandria in relation to her alleged participation in a protest against the government’s transfer of the Tiran and Sanafir islands to Saudi Arabia in June 2016. The court adjourned the case until 30 December 2017, and also ordered the two defendants that were present, Ms. El-Massry and Mr. Moatasem Medhat, to remain in custody pending trial. On 30 December, both Mahienour El-Massry and El-Massry and Moatasem Medhat were sentenced to two years in prison. Lawyers for Lawyers called for her immediate release in December 2017 and January 2018.
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. Since 2014, she has spent lengthy periods in Egyptian prison under difficult circumstances. In 2015, she was sentenced to one year and three months imprisonment on charges of, amongst others, “assaulting security forces”.
Lawyers for Lawyers welcomes the decision of of the court to acquit Mahienour El-Massry. We will continue to Lawyers closely monitor the situation of lawyers in Egypt.