The National Council for Human Rights
Arab Republic of Egypt
Excellencies,
We submit this urgent request regarding the case of Ms. Marwa Ashraf Mohamed Mohamed Arafa, who has been detained since April-2020 in Al-’Asher Corrections and Rehabilitation Center – Rehabilitation Building No. 4 on charges related to Case No. 570 of 2020, which is being heard by the Supreme State Security Court. Ms. Marwa Arafa appeared at the hearing on Saturday 18 October 2025, in a state of severe exhaustion and with obvious difficulty breathing. She informed the judge of her previous initial diagnosis of a pulmonary embolism, in addition to experiencing heart problems, elevated blood pressure and the fact that she was not examined by specialized doctors/physicians. Subsequently, her lawyers submitted another request during the hearing to transfer her to the university hospital for urgent care and the issuance of an elaborate report outlining her health condition to be submitted to court. Ms. Marwa Arafa was referred to trial in December 2024 along with 38 others in case No. 19857 of 2024 (Felonies Nasr City), on charges of “joining a terrorist group and financing terrorism.”
Ms. Marwa has exceeded the legal period of pretrial detention, in clear violation of Article 143 of the Code of Criminal Procedures, which stipulates that the maximum period of pretrial detention for felonies shall not exceed two years. Her continued detention for more than five years constitutes a violation of the guarantees of justice enshrined in the law.
In addition, Ms. Marwa suffered a serious health crisis in prison in August 2025, resulting in a pulmonary embolism, as initially diagnosed, which led to difficulty in her mobility and a continuous deterioration in her health. Despite the gravity of her condition, she received only one night of care at the Correctional and Rehabilitation Center Hospital before being returned to her cell, without completing her treatment or providing the necessary medical equipment, except for what her mother was able to provide at her own expense. Her lawyer’s request to transfer her to the Badr Medical Complex, which has the necessary medical care for her treatment, was also ignored. Requests from her lawyer and family to transfer her to an outside hospital for diagnosis and treatment at her own expense were ignored, especially since the prison administration recently refused to implement the Public Prosecutor’s permission for her lawyer to visit her in prison. Finally, she has been confined by being denied her right to daily exercise, which in her case is not only a fundamental right but also a therapeutic necessity to prevent future blood clots.
Her continued detention under these circumstances constitutes a clear violation of Article 55 of the Egyptian Constitution, which states that “Anyone who is arrested or detained shall be treated in a manner that preserves their dignity, and shall not be tortured, intimidated, or physically or mentally harmed.” Article 56 also states that “prison is a place of reform and rehabilitation, and the state is obligated to provide decent and humane conditions.” It also contravenes Egypt’s international obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Article 9), which guarantees the right to liberty and security of person, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (Article 12), which guarantees the right to the highest attainable standard of health.
In addition to Marwa’s health suffering, her continued detention deprives her daughter, who is on the autism spectrum, of her mother’s natural care, which is a double punishment for the child and the entire family. It is worth noting that Ms. Marwa was imprisoned when her daughter was only two years old and was arrested in front of her young child, causing the child trauma.
Therefore, we request your esteemed Council to intervene urgently to examine this case and demand that the relevant authorities end the detention of Ms. Marwa Arafa by releasing her pending trial, especially given her serious and life-threatening health condition, in order to preserve her right to life and dignity and to embody the Council’s role in protecting human rights in Egypt.
Marwa above all, is the mother of a young child on the autism spectrum. Throughout her six years of imprisonment, she has been deprived of accompanying her seven-year-old daughter during crucial moments of her development and of exercising her natural role in her care and upbringing. Her absence has compounded the suffering of her child, who particularly needs her mother’s presence, making Marwa’s continued imprisonment a double punishment for the child and the entire family.
During her imprisonment, Marwa has lost important opportunities to work, complete her studies, and develop her skills in translation and editing. She has also been deprived of her normal life and the exercise of her fundamental rights, which has deepened the individual and social losses resulting from her continued detention.
Based on the above, and in accordance with the Egyptian Constitution and international conventions to which the state is committed, we request that your esteemed Council:
- Intervenes urgently to examine the case of Ms. Marwa Ashraf Mohamed Mohamed Arafa.
- Addresses the relevant authorities to end her detention by releasing her pending trial, thereby ensuring her return to her family.
- Ensures that she receives the necessary health care for her condition, in accordance with constitutional and humanitarian standards.
The release of Marwa Arafa will restore her natural right to life and liberty, restore her daughter’s right to her mother’s care, and fulfill the vital role of the National Council for Human Rights in protecting rights and preserving human dignity.
Sources:
- نداء عاجل: حياة مروة عرفة في خطر وتحتاج لرعاية صحية عاجلة
- Egypt prosecutor blocks medical care for activist Marwa Arafa, says lawyer
- رغم تصريح النيابة العامة: إدارة سجن العاشر 4 تمنع محامي المبادرة المصرية من زيارة مروة عرفة بعد أزمتها الصحية
Signatories:
- Cairo Foundation for Development and Law (CFDL)
- Egyptian Front for Human Rights
- Egyptian Human Rights Forum
- El Nadeem Center
- Gohoud to Support Human Rights Defenders
- Law and Democracy Support Foundation (LDSF)
- MenaFem Movement for Economic, Development and Ecological Justice (MenaFem)
- New Woman Foundation
- Refugees Platform in Egypt (RPE)
- Safina Initiative
- The Bread and Freedom Political Party – Establishment in Process – Egypt
- The Center for Women’s Legal Assistance (CEWLA)
- The Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF)
- The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR)
- The Egyptian Observatory for Journalism and Media (EOJM)
- The Regional Coalition for Women Human Rights Defenders in South West Asia and North Africa (WHRDMENA)
Individuals:
- Ahmed Attallah – Executive Director
- Aida Seif Eldawla – University Professor
- Alaa Mohamed – Egyptian Citizen
- Amani Adel – Lawyer
- Amr Mohamed – Human rights lawyer
- Angham Mohamed Abdel Hafez
- Asmaa Naeem – Lawyer
- Asmaa Zeidan
- Aya Abdel Hamid – Feminist activist and researcher
- Azza Moghazy – Journalist
- Azza Soliman – Lawyer
- Basma Mostafa – Journalist
- Dai Rahmi – Translator
- Elham Eidarous – Egyptian citizen
- Emad Mubarak – Lawyer
- Emad Nabawi – Lawyer
- Esraa Fehead – Woman human rights defender
- Fatma Serag – Lawyer
- Ganna Adel – Egyptian citizen
- Gehad Rawy – Researcher
- Halim Hanish – Lawyer
- Hanan Sabea – University Professor
- Hisham Fouad – Journalist
- Hoda Fayek – Journalist
- Iman Al-Roubi – Director of Yalla Travel Agency
- Intisar Al-Said – Human rights lawyer
- Karen Melchior – Former Member of the European Parliament
- Karim Abdel-Rady – Lawyer and human rights defender
- Khalil Abdel Raouf – Citizen
- Magda Adly – Medical Doctor
- Maha Qabil – Freelance translator
- Mahienour Elmasry – Lawyer
- Mahmoud Haggag – Egyptian lawyer and human rights activist
- Mariam Koleib – Lawyer
- Mariam Metwally – Egyptian citizen
- May Al-Mahdi – Psychologist
- Menatullah Ismail Mehrez – Assistant Professor (National Center and MUST University)
- Mervat Mahmoud Al-Saadani – Chemical Engineer
- Mirhan Fouad – Egyptian citizen
- Mohamed El-Sayed Yassin – Lawyer
- Mona Ezzat – Journalist
- Mona Hamed – Psychologist
- Nada Nashat – Lawyer
- Nada Saad – Lawyer
- Nevine Ebeid – Executive Director
- Nour Khalil – Executive Director
- Nouran Al-Marsafi – Urban and environmental researcher
- Nourhan Hassan Mostafa – Lawyer
- Nourhan Tharwat – IT support
- Ola Shahba
- Omaima Emad Al-Din
- Omnia Khalil – Researcher and academic
- Rabab Azzam – Journalist
- Ragia Omran – Lawyer
- Rasha Azab – Journalist
- Salah Al-Saman – Lawyer
- Salwa Bashir – Lawyer
- Salwa Rashid Mahmoud
- Sama Mohamed El-Nabarawy
- Samar El-Husseiny – Researcher
- Samar Ibrahim Mahmoud – Egyptian citizen
- Sania Al-Feki – Researcher and journalist
- Shaimaa Hamdy – Journalist
- Shereen Talaat
- Sherif Azer – Human rights activist and university professor
- Sherif Gamal – Lawyer
- Shimaa Tantawy – Writer and feminist researcher
- Suzanne Fayad – Medical Doctor
- Suzanne Nada – Lawyer
- Wafaa Ashry – Researcher
