Egypt: CFWIJ welcomes the release of Esraa Abdelfattah

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July 19, 2021 - In a surprising decision by the judicial system, Esraa Abdelfattah was released on Saturday July 17 after being held in state captivity for almost two years. Abdelfattah was arrested for being associated with Tahrir News, a publication that was banned by President Sisi. Abdelfattah became an international symbol of resistance, with several international human rights watchdogs campaigning for her release, prior to the Egyptian state relenting.

Esraa Abdelfattah was a reporter and social media coordinator for media platform Tahrir News, a platform that was subject to censorship and bans by the Sisi administration. Abdelfattah was arrested in October 2019 by plainclothes officers and kept in pretrial detention, which was a blatant violation of her civil rights. Reportedly she was also tortured in state custody. Within a year the chargesheet against Abdelfattah was bulked up with bogus charges including associations with terror groups and spreading anti-state propaganda. The outrageous notions that Abdelfattah was involved in the serious crimes against state while being held in captivity made it obvious that the Sisi government was purposely targeting Abdelfattah in an attempt to silence her.

The anxiety around Abdelfattah was understandable given her long history of human rights activism and demands for freedom of expression and speech. Abdelfattah came into public view for the first time in 2008 when she was 30 years old. Her protests against the Egyptian state’s censorship policies made her into a symbol of dissent overnight. Abdelfattah spent two weeks in prison at the time for her campaign for greater freedom of speech at the time. Three years later, in 2011, Abdelfattah was again in the spotlight for demanding an end to Hosni Mubarak’s regime in the country. Abdelfattah collaborated with international news organization Al Jazeera to keep the international world updated with the developments on ground. In the aftermath of the uprising, evidence suggested that Abdelfattah was being tracked by the government, with several instances of violations of her privacy due to state surveillance.

Her outspoken stance on greater civil rights have gained her immense popularity in international media. This extensive profile of activism explains why the authoritarian Egyptian government felt threatened with Abdelfattah's presence and went out of its way to intimidate her into silence. It also explains why her sudden release has been such a cause of celebration for like-minded voices of dissent. Recently released political activist Solafa Sallam was one of the people who tweeted about Abdelfattah’s release to celebrate the moment.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is extremely glad that Esraa Abdelfattah has been granted freedom. However, the decision is also a reminder that Esraa was wrongfully incarcerated much like several women journalists around the world whose only crime is that they ensure those in power do not act with impunity. Abdelfattah should not have spent over twenty months in state custody without any crime, nor do women journalists deserve to spend their time in captivity for similar reasons. Authoritarian states like Sisi’s Egypt cannot silence brave voices of liberation, nor do they have a right to.