Egyptian authorities have filed charges against human rights lawyer Mahienour El-Massry, accusing her of spreading false information through what they call provocative social media posts.
The 39 year old appeared before state security prosecutors on Monday after being summoned at dawn, questioned for several hours, and later freed on bail of 50,000 Egyptian pounds.
Her defence lawyer, Khaled Ali, explained that the accusations are linked to posts criticising Egypt’s stance on the Israel Hamas war, Gaza’s worsening humanitarian situation, and harsh prison conditions.
Just last week, El-Massry took part in protests at Egypt’s Press Syndicate, where demonstrators called on Arab leaders to act on Gaza and demanded the reopening of the Rafah crossing.
The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights denounced the prosecution, calling it the fourth case brought against her since 2019 and describing it as “systematic targeting.”
The summons, handed to her family in Alexandria at 3:00 am without any details of the charges, has intensified concerns of political retaliation.
