For decades, Egyptian human rights lawyer Hoda Abdel Moneim has stood at the forefront of defending civil liberties, fair trial rights and the rule of law. As a former member of Egypt’s National Council for Human Rights and a respected figure within the Egyptian Coordination for Rights and Freedoms, Hoda dedicated her life to protecting others. Since 2018, however, she has been held prisoner without a fair trial, under difficult conditions, and with an alarming deterioration in her health.
Hoda was arrested in November 2018 during a wave of repression targeting lawyers and human rights defenders. After being held incommunicado for three weeks, she was charged under Egypt’s emergency and counter-terrorism laws and sentenced to five years in prison. When her sentence expired in October 2023, she was not released. Instead, she was placed in a new case with similar charges, a tactic condemned as “recycling” accusations to prolong detention indefinitely.
Over the past months, Hoda’s health has severely deteriorated. Reports from her legal team, family and human rights organizations indicate she has suffered two heart attacks this summer, in addition to chronic conditions including kidney failure, hypertension and deep vein thrombosis. Despite her critical condition, she has been denied adequate medical care, and her family was not informed of her cardiac episodes until days later. Her situation represents not only a humanitarian crisis but also a profound breach of fundamental legal and ethical principles.
Lawyers for Lawyers and numerous international organizations have called for Hoda Abdel Moneim’s immediate release and for urgent medical attention to be provided.
The family has yet to receive an update on complaints filed over 2 months ago. Hoda’s daughter, Gehad Khaled, has reached out to the Egyptian authorities, but has yet to hear a response.
We re-iterate our call to Egyptian authorities to allow the release of lawyer Hoda Abdel-Moneim and respect of her human rights, notably in light of recent violatio
This continued detention exemplifies how the misuse of emergency laws erodes the rule of law and endangers those who defend it.
