Award-winning activist Mahienour El-Masry sues Egypt's chief prosecutors over 'travel ban'

Long-time award-winning human rights defender Mahienour El-Massry has recently filed an urgent lawsuit against both the prosecutor-general and the state security attorney-general, demanding an official document that proves her freedom of movement.

"The lawsuit calls for terminating an earlier decision that denied [Masry] the right to acquire an official document detailing the duration of her pre-trial detention and whether she is banned from travelling outside the country," said prominent rights lawyer Khaled Ali, who represents her, in a statement on Wednesday.

Masry, a prominent rights lawyer, was released in 2021 after spending about two years in pre-trial detention.

She was detained right after attending judicial investigations into protesters arrested during rare protests against President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi in September 2019 that called for departure.     

Since 2013, Masry has been tried and jailed three. While serving time in 2014, she was granted The Ludovic Trarieux Award.

Masry could not be reached for comment at the time of publication.

The Egyptian regime has been known for using excessive and arbitrary travel bans against activists, academics and intellectuals since the military coup led by the then-defence minister Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi overthrew Morsi in July 2013.

Last year, Human Rights Watch revealed in a report that it was impossible to estimate the number of people affected by the travel ban, primarily imposed without official notification.

Egypt's human rights record has regularly been condemned by human rights groups, estimating that there are about 60,000 political prisoners in the country, many facing abuse, torture and medical neglect.