Joint Statement
Monday, May 25, 2026
The Regional Coalition for Women Human Rights Defenders in South West Asia and North Africa (WHRDMENA) and the undersigned organizations and groups condemn the arrest of the two Egyptian women human rights defenders and political activists, Dr. Hanan Tantawy, a founding member of the Committee for the Defense of Prisoners of Conscience, and Ms. Wafaa Elmasry, a cassation lawyer and founding member of the Committee, and Mr. Mohamed Abo El diyar, a lawyer and founder of the Committee for the Defense of Prisoners of Conscience. They were arrested on the morning of Monday, May 25, 2026, in connection with their participation in an event titled “Prison Is Not Their Place,” which was organized by the Committee for the Defense of Prisoners of Conscience and held on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, at the headquarters of the Bread and Freedom Party (in the process of being established). Tantawy and Elmasry were charged with spreading false news and released on bail of 50,000 Egyptian pounds each, while lawyer Mohamed Abo Eldiyar was charged with joining an illegal group, spreading false news, and using a social media account to promote it, before being ordered to be detained for 15 days pending investigation.
The Regional Coalition for Women Human Rights Defenders and the undersigned organizations believe that Tantawy, Elmasry, and Abo Eldiyar’s appearance before the prosecution constitutes punishment for their public activism and their dedication to various causes, including defending prisoners’ rights and their ongoing calls for their release.
The arrests of Tantawy, Elmasry, and Abo Eldiyar come amid a stifling climate for civil society and political activism, and a deliberate targeting of human rights defenders by the Egyptian authorities. The Regional Coalition for Women Human Rights Defenders and the undersigned organizations believe that the Egyptian authorities are using the aforementioned case to punish Dr. Tantawy, Elmasry, and Abo Eldiyar for their public work, as Dr. Hanan Tantawy is active in the defense of prisoners of conscience, while Cassation Court lawyer Wafaa Elmasry has a long history spanning more than three decades of public advocacy, including her involvement in the “Lift the Siege” campaigns on Iraq, as well as her membership in the Popular Committee for Solidarity with Palestine and the Karama Political Party, amid a general crackdown on political parties not loyal to the Egyptian state that adopt views opposing the state and its practices, and Abo Eldiyar’s continued defense of prisoners. It is worth noting that the arrest of lawyer Mohamed Abo Eldiyar comes just six months after his release from detention in connection with the case known as “The Current of Hope.” The participation of Tantawy, Elmasry, and Abo Eldiiyar in public work is lawful, as stipulated by the Egyptian Constitution, despite the Egyptian authorities’ blatant disregard for the law, the Egyptian Constitution, and the rights guaranteed therein.
Accordingly, the Regional Coalition for Women Human Rights Defenders in South West Asia and North Africa (WHRDMENA) and the undersigned organizations demand dropping the charges against Dr. Hanan Tantawy, a woman human rights defender, and Wafaa Elmasry, a lawyer at the Court of Cassation and woman human rights defender, as well as the immediate release of lawyer Mohamed Abo Eldiyar. We also call on the Egyptian authorities to cease targeting and persecuting human rights defenders and to allow them to freely exercise their political rights and safeguard their right to freedom of expression, as guaranteed by the Constitution and the law.
Undersigned organizations:
- The Regional Coalition for Women Human Rights Defenders in South West Asia and North Africa (WHRDMENA)
- Center for Egyptian Women’s Assistance (CEWLA)
- Law and Democracy Support Foundation (LDSF)
- El Nadim Center for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence
- New Woman Foundation (NWF)
- Bread and Freedom Party (in the process of being established)
- Refugee Platform in Egypt (RPE)
- Egypt Wide for Human Rights
- Egyptian Platform for Human Rights
- Sinai Foundation for Human Rights
- Egyptian Front for Human Rights
