Egypt: Rasha Azab Calls Out Top Authorities for Alarming Threats and Surveillance Campaign
November 14, 2024 - Cairo, Egypt
Rasha Azab, an Egyptian journalist, faces a campaign of threats and surveillance directed by the country’s interior minister and the head of the National Security Agency. Women Press Freedom condemns this harassment and calls on Egyptian authorities to immediately halt these practices and uphold press freedom. Actions by high-ranking officials against journalists reflect a concerning disregard for critical journalism and dissent, jeopardizing the personal safety of journalists.
Egypt is widely recognized for its hostility towards journalists. Since January 2019, WPF has documented at least 48 cases of threats against women journalists in Egypt, with legal harassment accounting for the highest number of these incidents (15 cases). This is not the first time Azab has been targeted by authorities.
Earlier this year, in April, WPF documented her detention—alongside other women journalists and activists—under distressing conditions following a peaceful protest. Although they were subsequently released, Azab and her colleagues faced charges. More recently, Azab faced renewed intimidation just days after her car was stolen on November 5 from an area near diplomats' residences in Cairo. She also described being surveilled by individuals while moving around the city. Such tactics of intimidation and harassment against journalists must cease, as they not only endanger individual safety but also flout democratic principles and values.
We demand authorities in the region to stop weaponizing the law to attack journalists and undermine press freedom. We also call for their immediate release and for them to be allowed to work freely without any fear of retaliation.
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