Egypt: CFWIJ calls out the Egyptian judicial system and condemns the conviction of Sanaa Seif

March 20, 2021- Activist, writer, and film editor Sanaa Seif was sentenced for 18 months in jail on March 17. Sana was convicted on bogus charges of spreading false news, misusing social media, and insulting a police officer. Seif was in police custody since June 23, 2020, and is convicted under bogus charges. She was not brought into court at the time of her conviction. Sanaa was critical of the unhygienic conditions of Egypt’s overcrowded prisons during the onset of coronavirus. She was campaigning for the release of detainees arbitrarily held in prisons including her brother. CFWIJ condemns the wrongful conviction of the activist and calls out the Egyptian judiciary to drop all lame and bogus charges against her. We demand that Sanaa Seif should be released and allowed to practice freedom of speech. 

Human rights activist and writer Sanaa Seif denied all the charges against her. Her lawyer is committed to challenge the judgment in the higher court. Sanaa was detained without any warrants on June 23, 2020, outside the public prosecutors’ office where she went to file a complaint about the assault she suffered along with her a night before. On June 22, 2020, Sana was peacefully protesting outside the Tora prison complex to obtain a letter about her arbitrarily detained brother. Sanaa was with her mother, sister, and another activist friend when they were attacked by a group of women with sticks. The violent attack left clear marks of bruises on the ladies. Reportedly the police officer also pushed Sana’s mother, Laila Soueif towards the violent women. Another police officer also asked the attacking women to take Sanaa and her family outside while they were beating them. 

According to Sanaa’s lawyer, during interrogation, she stated that “I lost all hope in change, I only want to support my unjustly prisoned brother, and this, I won’t stop doing”. Mona Seif, her sister shared the news of conviction on her Twitter account saying, “Sanaa Seif has been sentenced to 1.5 years in prison #FreeSanaa”. Amnesty International has also criticized the judgment and called out the Egyptian government in a statement stating that “Today’s verdict is yet another crushing blow for the right to freedom of expression in Egypt. The Egyptian authorities have yet again demonstrated their unrelenting intent to punish any criticism of their dismal human rights record.”

The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the state-backed persecution against Sanaa Seif and demands that charges against her must be dropped and she should be released. We also ask for an in-depth investigation of the assault that Sanaa and her family suffered. The Egyptian government must stop persecuting dissent voices and let free speech flourish in the country.