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Case History: Hoda Abdelwahab

Status: 
Travel Ban
About the situation

On 20 June 2016 human rights defender Ms Hoda Abdelwahab was banned from travelling to Oslo, Norway from Cairo International Airport to attend an international conference on the prohibition of the death penalty. The human rights defender has not yet been informed of any further action to be taken by the authorities.

About Hoda Abdelwahab

hoda_abdelwahabHoda Abdelwahab is an Egyptian lawyer and the executive director of the Arab Centre for Independence of Judges and the Legal Profession (ACIJLP) which is a regional organization established in Cairo in March 1997. It works for the reinforcement of the independence of the judiciary and the legal profession, the rule of law, and the respect for human rights and basic freedoms in Egypt and Arab countries. ACIJLP has a consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and member of the Coalition of the International Criminal Court (CICC).

21 June 2016
Travel ban imposed on human rights defender Hoda Abdelwahab

On 20 June 2016 human rights defender Ms Hoda Abdelwahab was banned from travelling to Oslo, Norway from Cairo International Airport to attend an international conference on the prohibition of the death penalty. The human rights defender has not yet been informed of any further action to be taken by the authorities.

Hoda Abdelwahab is an Egyptian lawyer and the Executive Director of the Arab Centre for the Independence of the Judiciary and the Legal Profession (ACIJLP), a regional organisation established in Cairo in 1997. It works on the reinforcement of the independence of the judiciary and the legal profession, the rule of law, and respect for human rights and basic freedoms in Egypt and Arab countries. ACIJLP has a consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and is a member of the Coalition of the International Criminal Court (CICC).

Hoda Abdelwahab was travelling to an international conference on the prohibition of the death penalty in Oslo on 20 June 2016 when she was informed by officials at Cairo International Airport that a travel ban had been imposed against her by a judicial order. The human rights defender believes this is related to the foreign funding case against NGOs in Egypt which was recently reopened. She was not formally notified of this order and has yet to be informed of any further action to be taken.

Travel bans have increasingly been used over the past two years against human rights defenders and political activists in Egypt. Travel bans have been ordered by the Egyptian judiciary, among other authorities, against leaders and staff members of human rights NGOs in the framework of the ongoing foreign funding case which resumed in March 2016. It is also known as Case No.173, involving forty-one Egyptian organisations which are being investigated, with some of their leaders and staff members being summoned on charges including “receipt of illegal foreign funding” and “working without legal permission”. Between February and June 2016, the investigating judge in this case ordered travel bans against human rights lawyer Mr Gamal Eid, journalist and former director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights Mr Hossam Bahgat and Egypt director of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies Mr Mohamed Zarea. Travel bans have also been imposed since January 2015 against digital media specialist and human rights defender Ms Esraa Abdel Fattah and human rights defenders Messrs Hossameldin Ali, Ahmed Ghonim and Bassem Samir of the Egyptian Democratic Academy.

Front Line Defenders is concerned by the travel ban imposed on Hoda Abdelwahab and strongly fears that this step may be followed by her interrogation and prosecution.

Front Line Defenders urges the authorities in Egypt to:
1. Immediately and unconditionally remove the travel ban imposed against Hoda Abdelwahab and all other human rights defenders facing travel restrictions in Egypt, as Front Line Defenders believes that they are being restricted solely as a result of their legitimate and peaceful work in the defence of human rights;
2. Guarantee in all circumstances that all human rights defenders in Egypt are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions.