News briefing
By: Committee for Justice
Geneva: November 21, 2023
Egyptian political activist and human rights lawyer, Mahienour El-Masry, has files a lawsuit against the head of the Egyptian National Election Authority for depriving her of her fundamental political and human rights as stipulated in the constitution and law.
Exclusion of Mahienour from voter lists:
El-Masry explained in a post on her Facebook account that she was surprised that her name was not included in the voter lists prior to the presidential elections, which deprives her of political participation – despite her confirmation of her boycott of the presidential elections, which she described as “sham elections.”
El-Masry confirmed that lawyer Mohamed Ramadan Abu Beibars and the Alexandria Office for Legal Protection have filed the lawsuit, with the first session scheduled for December 3.
Previous lawsuit regarding travel ban:
Previously, El-Masry filed a legal suit before the Administrative Court against the Egyptian Attorney General and the Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme State Security Prosecution regarding her travel ban. In the lawsuit, El-Masry requested the suspension of the negative decision to refrain from issuing her a certificate from the Supreme State Security Prosecution’s register to clarify her previous detention period for trial in Case No. 855 of 2020, the date of her release, whether she was banned from traveling pending investigations in that case, and the actions taken regarding the charges against her in this case’s investigations.
Solidarity and human rights demands:
The Committee for Justice declares its support for Mahienour El-Masry, an Egyptian political activist and human rights lawyer, in her legal battle to uphold her fundamental political and human rights. CFJ is calling on Egyptian authorities to adhere to the rule of law and apply the legal provisions governing political rights, emphasizing that there is no legal justification for barring El-Masry from exercising her political rights.
