Brussels, 20 May 2019
EuroMed Rights celebrates the announcement that Egyptian woman human rights defender Amal Fathy has been awarded the Bruno Kreisky prize for human rights, highlighting her courageous work defending human rights in Egypt.
Ms Fathy, a member of the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF), has frequently spoken out against the arbitrary detention of other activists and violence against women in Egypt. Her activism has led to her being arrested, held in pre-trial detention for several months and charged in two cases. In September 2018, she was sentenced to two years in prison and a fine for posting a video online denouncing the Egyptian government’s failure to address sexual harassment. EuroMed Rights commissioned experts from Solicitors’ International Human Rights Group to observe Ms Fathy’s trial, who concluded that her right to a fair trial was not respected.
Ms Fathy was conditionally released from prison on 18 December, however she has to undergo police monitoring twice a week and could be arrested again at any time. The award ceremony will take place today in Vienna, yet Ms Fathy will be unable to attend in person.
Human rights defenders are currently experiencing unprecedented levels of repression in Egypt, and Ms Fathy’s achievement in winning the Bruno Kreisky prize helps increase international recognition of both Ms Fathy’s personal efforts for human rights as well as those of the Egyptian human rights movement as a whole.