Nazra for Feminist Studies

On June 28, 2014, the Manshia Misdemeanor Appeal Court in Alexandria postponed the issuance of the verdict for the appeal of WHRD Mahienour El-Massry to July 20, 2014, while continuing her detention at Damanhour Women’s Prison.

The appeal was made for the sentence that was upheld for Ms. El-Massry and 7 other Human Rights defenders on May 20, 2014, by the Sidi Gaber Misdemeanor Court in Alexandria for 2 years’ imprisonment on charges of unauthorized protest and attacking police officers during the Khaled Said murder retrial on 2 December 2013.

On 25 June 2014, the Heliopolis Public Prosecution transferred the case of the seven detained women human rights defenders to the Heliopolis Misdemeanor Court and the first court session will be held on 29 June 2014.

In the first step towards the trial of the perpetrators of the gang rapes and mob-sexual assaults in Tahrir square, the first hearing was held on Wednesday the 25th of June 2014 in the Sixteenth Circuit for Felonies at the New Cairo Court in order to try some of the defendants charged with committing gang rapes and assaults during the celebrations that took place in Tahrir Square for the inauguration of the New Egyptian President on the 3rd and 8th of June 2014.

The Necessity of Including Women in the Composition of the Supreme Committee for Legislative Reform, Created by Decree of the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt no. 187/2014

On 21 June 2014, seven women human rights defenders were arrested for protesting peacefully against the Protest and Public Assembly Law in Heliopolis, Cairo, after being dispersed by the police using tear gas and bird shots.

At Least 9 Cases of Mob-Sexual Assault and Gang Rapes with Sharp Objects and Fingers this Week

Continued Disregard for the Situation of Women in the Upcoming Parliamentary Elections

The signatories hereto have taken notice of the draft decree-law the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt on the promulgation of the Law on Regulating the Exercise of Some Political Rights, as received by the National Council for Human Rights from the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.

Lack of Public Dialogue with all Concerned Parties on the Law of the Exercise of Political Rights and the Law on the House of Representatives leads to Unjust Representation of Women in the Coming House of Representatives (the parliament)

The Committee concerned with the Amendment of both laws did not pay attention to the Demands of Feminist Organizations regarding the Best Electoral System for Women

The undersigned organizations and groups denounce the continuity of issuing judicial verdicts against Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) and Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs) according to the violation of the Protest and Public Assembly Law, and call for the renunciation of the verdict against activist Maheinour El-Massry and revision of the faulty law itself and the verdicts issued on its basis against a large number of civilians.

On Monday May 5th  2014, Nazra for Feminist Studies held a discussion panel for a number of representatives of political parties, feminist groups and organizations concerned with the political participation of Women, and a representative of the National Council for Women, to discuss the work of the Committee on amending the Law Regulating the Exercise of Political Rights and the Parliament Law, and to present to the Committee mechanisms for the adoption of an electoral system that supports the participation of Women in the upcoming parliamentary elections.