Judicial harassment of Mohamed Zarea
On 11 January 2017, the Cairo Criminal Court ruled to freeze the assets of human rights defender Mohamed Aly Zarea and his organisation Arab Penal Reform Organization (APRO). The ruling is connected to the “foreign funding” case, which is targeting human rights defenders and NGOs across the country, and which is currently pending trial. In the same ruling, the personal assets of Atef Hafez, who is legal researcher with APRO, were also frozen.
Mohamed Aly Zarea is the Director of the Arab Penal Reform Organisation. APRO is an independent Arab NGO and law firm founded in 2004 that provides legal expertise on penal reform in Egypt.
On 11 January 2017, the Cairo Criminal Court ruled to freeze the assets of human rights defender Ms Mozn Hassan and her non-governmental organisation Nazra for Feminist Studies. In the same ruling, the Court also froze the assets of Mr Mohamed Aly Zarea and his Arab Penal Reform Organization (APRO).
Mozn Hassan is an Egyptian human rights defender and the Executive Director of Nazra for Feminist Studies, a group that aims to build an Egyptian feminist movement and supports women human rights defenders with legal and psychological interventions. Mozn Hassan has worked on numerous feminist issues in Egypt and the Middle East since 2001, including violence against women in the public space. Mohamed Aly Zarea is the Director of the Arab Penal Reform Organisation. APRO is an independent Arab NGO and law firm founded in 2004 that provides legal expertise on penal reform in Egypt.
On 11 January 2017, Mozn Hassan and Mohamed Aly Zarea’s personal and organisational assets were frozen in a decision connected to the “foreign funding” case, which is targeting human rights defenders and NGOs across the country, and which is currently pending trial. In the same ruling, the personal assets of Mr Atef Hafez, who is legal researcher with APRO, were also frozen. In the above mentioned “foreign funding” case, also known as Case No. 173, 37 Egyptian rights organisations have faced charges, with some of their leaders and staff members accused of “receipt of illegal foreign funding” and “working without legal permission”. As part of this case several human rights defenders have been subject to either travel bans or freezes of their personal and/or their organisations’ assets. Those found guilty of illegally receiving foreign funding could face up to 25 years’ imprisonment.
On 14 December 2016 the North Cairo Court ruled to freeze Ms Azza Soliman’s assets, as well as the assets of her organization, Lawyers for Justice and Peace, on the basis of the human rights defender’s involvement in the “foreign funding” case. In the same judicial order Azza Soliman was also issued with a travel ban. On 17 September 2016 an Egyptian court approved a freeze on the assets of five prominent human rights defenders and three leading human rights NGOs. On 27 June 2016, Mozn Hassan was prevented from travelling to Beirut at Cairo International Airport. She was not officially notified of the travel ban imposed on her beforehand and the human rights defender remains unable to travel abroad.
Front Line Defenders condemns the criminalization of civil society in Egypt, including through the imposition of travel bans, the blocking of human rights organisations’ bank accounts and the freezing of their assets. Front Line Defenders is also deeply concerned by the new restrictive draft NGO law recently approved by Egyptian Parliament. Front Line Defenders calls for an immediate end to the persecution of human rights defenders, reiterating their essential role in the development of a just and equal society.
