Egypt to release of 15 female detainees from pretrial detention

On July 17th and 18th, 2021, a truck ad drove through Washington D.C. and Northern Virginia displaying the faces of 12 political prisoners in Egypt that are facing the death penalty [The Freedom Initiative/Flickr]

Human rights organisations and activists yesterday welcomed Egypt’s decision to release 15 female detainees after they spent two years in pretrial detention.

The Belady – An Island for Humanity organisation said a Cairo criminal court decided to release the 15 female detainees yesterday, noting that the defendants faced charges of “publishing false news and statements, misusing social media, and promoting ideologies of a terrorist group”.

Earlier, the head of the Reform and Development Party, Muhammad Anwar Al-Sadat, announced that the judicial bodies and the Public Prosecution Office will discuss the cases of pretrial detainees, in preparation for their release within a few days.

In a brief press statement issued yesterday, he said: “In the framework of activating the national strategy for human rights, work is now underway, with the judiciary and the Public Prosecution, to review the cases of pre-trial detainees in preparation for their release within the next few days.”

Meanwhile, the Cairo Criminal Court also accepted the appeals submitted by activist Esraa Abdel-Fattah, against the travel ban issued against her.

READ: Families of Egypt prisoners complain of ill-treatment by police

The 15 women are

Iman Salem Mukhtar Abdel-Rahman
Nesma jomaa Salem
Amal Mohamed Ibrahim Shehata
Mai Mohamed Mustafa Ibrahim
Fatima Al-Zahra Mustafa Magdy
Nariman Eid Mohamed Sulaiman
Yasmin Salem Sulaiman Mohamed
Fathia Radwan Odeh Sulaiman
Fatima Abdel-Maqsoud Mohamed Hussein
Rahma Essam Said Sayed
Safaa Faraj Eid Sulaiman
Najah Ahmed Selmi Farag
Hind Mosleh Naser Selmi
Noha Yahya Aziz Mohamed
1Maryam Ibrahim Saleh Al-Deeb

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