Yasser Abu Al-Ela is sentenced to 20 years in prison, while Rasha Azab faces threats and harassment, reflecting the escalating dangers for journalists in the country.
This statement was originally published on cpj.org on 13 November 2024.
Egyptian authorities sentenced in absentia journalist Yasser Abu Al-Ela to 20 years in prison on charges of joining a terrorist organization and spreading false news. Separately, press freedom advocate Rasha Azab accused the Interior Minister and the head of the National Security Agency of orchestrating recent threats against her and surveilling her movements, which culminated in the theft of her car on November 5.
“It is disgraceful that Egyptian authorities sentenced Yasser Abu Al-Ela to 20 years in absentia on terrorism and false news charges while he is already detained in an Egyptian prison for a separate case. This highlights the utter lack of due process in Egypt’s legal system, offering no protection for detained journalists,” said Yeganeh Rezaian, CPJ’s interim Middle East and North Africa program coordinator. “The ongoing threats and harassment against press freedom advocate Rasha Azab serve as yet another stark reminder of the heavy price that those who defend press freedom in Egypt are forced to pay every day.”
CPJ was unable to confirm the exact date Abu Al-Ela was sentenced.
Authorities arrested Abu Al-Ela on March 10. Abu Al-Ela told the prosecutor he was subjected to 50 days of enforced disappearance and endured both physical and psychological torture during this period.
Azab told CPJ that these threats and surveillance are intended to “intimidate me into ceasing my support for freedom issues in general, and for journalists in particular, as my car went missing after the protest organized in solidarity with Palestinians and currently detained Egyptian journalists.”
CPJ’s email to the Egyptian Ministry of Interior requesting comment on these cases did not receive an immediate response.
