Woman Human Rights Defender Nahed Sherif is Not Being Released Despite the Issuance of a Presidential Pardon 8 Days Ago

Woman Human Rights Defender Nahed Sherif is Not Being Released Despite the Issuance of a Presidential Pardon 8 Days Ago

Joint Statement

30 Sep 2015

A Presidential Pardon (No. 386 for the year 2015) was issued on 23 September 2015 to release 100 prisoners in several cases, including the Ittihadia Presidential Palace Case, which includes 7 WHRDs, from which 6 have been released, while WHRD Nahed Sherif (known as Nahed Bibo) is still detained.

While the concerned pardon includes pardon of subsequent monitoring (2 years) for the concerned case's verdict, Ms. Sherif is still being held liable for the remainder of her monitoring from the previous case she was imprisoned on, namely the High Supreme Court Case, where she is going to be subject to monitoring until June 2016.

Ms. Nahed Sherif  had previously confirmed that following the protest on 21 June 2014, she was assaulted by police officers during her arrest. After she was recognized by a police officer while she was standing on a side street in the district of Heliopolis on the same day, as she was taken to a police check-point near the Ittihadia Presidential Palace, where she was kicked in the face by a police officer on her nose. Ms. Sherif sustained an acute nose bleed and currently has a horizontal scar on her mid-nose as a result of the assault. She was also slapped several times on her face both in the micro-bus transporting her to the Heliopolis Police Station, and during the prosecution’s investigations with her. The police officer had originally recognized her as she had been arrested in June 2012 after participating in a protest at the High Supreme Court during a sit-in by judges, which had been attacked by both civilians and police forces. Ms. Nahed Sherif consequently served one year and nine months after she was handed down a two year sentence (June 2012 to March 2014).

Ms. Sherif has been subjected to a heinous and outrageous process for the past 2 days, including her being transported between 2 police stations, 2 courts, and 1 prosecution office, to have her papers completed before her release. Until a very late hour this morning, she was denied entrance of food and water, and is being held at ElHaram Police Station, where she will be reporting her remainder monitoring from the previous case on which she was imprisoned as highlighted above. While others have been released, she is being subjected to police and administrative harassment which is completely unjust, to say the least.

The undersigned organizations demand the immediate release of Ms. Sherif, per the authority of the presidential pardon, and hold the Ministry of Interior responsible for her physical and psychological wellbeing and integrity.

List of Signatories:

1. Nazra for Feminist Studies

2. Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID)

3. Global Fund for Women (GFW)

4. Iniciativa Nicaragüense de Defensoras, Nicaragua

5. Las Venancias, Nicaragua

6. Red del Norte de Defensoras, Nicaragua

7. Red Nacional de Defensoras de Guatemala

8. UDEFEGUA, Guatemala

9. Urgent Action Fund for Women's Human Rights

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