The Egyptian authorities must immediately put an end to the disgraceful campaign of intimidation against outspoken journalist and woman human rights defender Rasha Azab, Amnesty International said today.
A vocal critic of the Egyptian government's response to the Gaza conflict, Rasha Azab has been subjected to repeated threats and harassment since hostilities erupted on 7 October 2023. This has included being followed on several occasions by a group of three unidentified men and receiving warnings via intermediaries that security agencies will arrest her.
On 9 November, the Journalists Syndicate submitted a formal complaint to the Public Prosecutor on Rasha Azab's behalf, requesting an immediate investigation.
"It is utterly shameful that Rasha Azab is being subjected to surveillance and the threat of arrest as a result of her peaceful activism. It sends a chilling message to other activists about the consequences of publicly voicing dissent in Egypt," said Mahmoud Shalaby, Egypt Researcher at Amnesty International.
"It is utterly shameful that Rasha Azab is being subjected to surveillance and the threat of arrest as a result of her peaceful activism. It sends a chilling message to other activists about the consequences of publicly voicing dissent in Egypt," - Mahmoud Shalaby, Egypt Researcher
"The Public Prosecutor must immediately launch an effective investigation into Rasha Azab's complaints and ensure that it addresses the role of state actors. Rasha Azab's rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly must be upheld."
Physical surveillance and threats of arrest
Rasha Azab told Amnesty International that since 7 October 2023, she has been threatened with arrest by multiple security agencies. These threats have been communicated via phone calls from public figures in contact with various security agencies. During these calls, Rasha Azab said she was warned to soften her criticism of the government and not to organize protests against Egypt's response to the conflict in Gaza. Rasha Azab reported being told on some occasions that "it would be better for her" to leave the country.
Rasha Azab has also been subjected to unrelenting physical surveillance since October 2024.
On 8 November 2024, three men in civilian clothes, one of them on a motorcycle, followed Rasha Azab as she walked through al-Daher Square in western Cairo to view an apartment for sale, according to Rasha Azab and her brother, lawyer Muhammad Azab, who accompanied her. Rasha Azab said she recognized the men from two previous incidents. The first occurred on 8 October 2024, when they followed her after she left a conference at the Journalists' Syndicate in downtown Cairo. The second took place on 28 October, when they followed her during an assignment to cover the demolition of the historical Imam al-Shafie cemeteries in Cairo.
On this third occasion, Rasha Azab decided to confront the men. She approached them and, with the help of local residents, asked their identities and why they were following her. They refused to answer. Local residents called the police, who arrived and asked Rasha Azab to go to al-Daher police station to file a report. Police also took two of the three men to the station, while the third man managed to escape before the police arrived. After waiting for two hours, a policeman informed Rasha that the two men had escaped on the way to the police station. The same policeman refused to file a report, citing "higher instructions" without specifying who had given them.
According to Rasha and another lawyer, who requested to remain anonymous, a policeman in al-Daher police station said that the men were not affiliated with the station but may have been sent by another security agency. Another policeman, also in al-Daher station, told Muhammad Azab "It is not us. You better go figure this out with them," likely referring to the National Security Agency (NSA).
Failure to investigate the theft of Rasha Azab's car
On 5 November, Rasha Azab's car was stolen from Zamalek neighbourhood in downtown Cairo, an area with a high security presence due to the number of foreign embassies there. The police chief of the local Qasr El-Nile police station informed her that CCTV footage revealing the thieves' identities was available. However, the authorities have never provided any further information.
On 9 November, the public prosecution summoned Rasha to give a statement about the theft, but prosecutors informed her that they were still waiting for the police to send the footage. During the investigation, Rasha Azab accused the Minister of Interior and the head of the NSA of orchestrating her surveillance and the theft of her car.
When Rasha Azab attempted to review the footage on 13 and 21 November, prosecutors told her they had not received it. On 21 November, they promised her that the footage would arrive by 25 November, but it did not.
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The complaint submitted by the Journalists' Syndicate requested an investigation into the physical surveillance Rasha Azab has been subjected to and the theft of her car. On 2 December, she was summoned by the prosecution to give her statement regarding the complaint.
Background
Rasha Azab has participated in multiple pro-Palestine protests, including a protest in front of the UN Women office in Cairo on 24 April 2024, when she was arrested along with around 17 others. She has also participated in multiple protests in front of the Journalists' Syndicate calling on Egypt's government to open the Rafah border crossing for humanitarian aid as well as against the passage of Israel-linked ships through Egypt's territorial waters.
In April 2022, Rasha Azab stood trial on charges of "insult," defamation" and "deliberately disturbing [the plaintiff]", film director Islam Azazi], in relation to tweets in which she expressed solidarity with survivors of sexual violence. The court acquitted and dropped the charges against her after a public outcry.
On 21 August 2022, an economic appellate court convicted her of "insult" and "defamation" and sentenced her to a fine of 10,000 EGP (196 USD) in relation to the same case.
