April 14, 2021, Cairo- Journalist and human rights activist Solafa Magdy and her husband, photojournalist Hossam al-Sayyad, were finally released earlier today after spending almost seventeen months in extrajudicial state custody. During her time in prison, Solafa was reportedly subjected to torture and denied medical aid.

Solafa Magdy, and her husband Hossam al-Sayyad, were abducted by the state on November 25, 2021. They were deemed missing for around eighteen hours after their abduction before their arrest was finally made public. The couple was accused of terror-related charges, as well as spreading fake news and misusing social media. The couple was apprehended in the wake of similar arrests taking place in the country at that time. The nature of Solafa’s arrest raised an uproar across the global community, and several international human rights organizations campaigned for her safety and release. Solafa was always an active voice, addressing the issues of sexual harassment against women and minority rights in Egypt. In 2020, she was awarded the Courage In Journalism award for her committed work. 

During her time in detention, Solafa faced physical, sexual, and psychological torture. Her health deteriorated while in custody, and Egyptian authorities refused to provide her with adequate medical treatment. This was despite her mother’s repeated warnings of a possible cancer recurrence, which Solafa was treated for in 2017. Solafa filed a complaint with the attorney general for having suffered repeated sexual and physical assaults. In one attack, she was reportedly stripped of her clothes and dragged across the floor, suffering subsequent pelvic bleeding. 

Authorities even tried to recruit Solafa as a spy, and when she refused, they threatened she would never see her family again. According to the Middle East Monitor, there are nearly 60,000 political prisoners in Egypt’s jails, kept in unhygienic conditions and overcrowded cells. Human rights lawyer Mai El-Sadany shared the news of Solafa and her husband’s release on Twitter. She stated, “Remarkable news this evening as Egyptian journalists Solafa Magdy and Hossam al-Sayyad have been ordered released from pretrial detention and are now home with their loved ones.”

The Coalition For Women In Journalism welcomes the release of Solafa and her husband. Although the couple was released, the perpetrators responsible for Solafa’s abduction and torture need to be brought to justice. CFWIJ urges Egyptian authorities to stop targeting dissenting voices and respect the principles of press freedom.  We demand the authorities hold the assailants accountable and ensure the protection of journalists working in Egypt.