The Right Livelihood Foundation condemns an Egyptian court decision rejecting 2016 Laureate Mozn Hassan’s appeals to lift a travel ban imposed on her and end an asset freeze on her organisation, Nazra for Feminist Studies.
The decision handed down by the North Cairo Criminal Court on Saturday means that sanctions used to harass Hassan, one of Egypt’s most prominent women’s rights defenders, and her organisation will remain in place. Hassan has been under a travel ban since June 2016, while Nazra’s assets were frozen in January 2017.
“We are appalled by the Egyptian court’s decision to keep sanctions in place against Mozn Hassan and her organisation,” said Ole von Uexkull, Executive Director of the Right Livelihood Foundation. “Hassan has been at the frontlines of the fight for equality and rights of women in Egypt, standing up for victims of violence, abuse and discrimination. We fully support her work and call on Egyptian authorities to end this ongoing legal harassment.”
Hassan and Nazra for Feminist Studies, which played a central role in documenting sexual assaults during and after the 2011 Egyptian revolution, have been targeted by the Egyptian government for their work for four years now.
In an attempt to prevent her from continuing her human rights and feminist work, the Egyptian government has prosecuted Hassan under the infamous case 173/2011, known as the “NGO Foreign Funding Case,” under charges such as “inciting and calling for the irresponsible liberation of women.”
The current ruling rejecting Hassan’s appeal to end sanctions comes after the court had previously postponed taking a decision seven times.
The Right Livelihood Foundation calls on the Egyptian government to:
- Lift the prolonged travel ban against Hassan
- Suspend all charges against Nazra and Hassan, allowing her to conduct her work free from undue interference and prosecution;
- End all judicial harassment against Nazra, Hassan and their fellow human rights defenders and organisations by closing case 173/2011 and by taking adequate measures to guarantee a free and active civil society in Egypt.
Hassan received the Right Livelihood Award in 2016 “for asserting the equality and rights of women in circumstances where they are subject to ongoing violence, abuse and discrimination.”
