Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC) strongly condemns the referral of prominent student and human rights activist Moaz al-Sharkawy, along with 70 other citizens, to criminal trial in Case No.

540 of 2023 on politically motivated and legally baseless charges. Al-Sharkawy stands accused of “spreading false news” and “joining a terrorist group,” vague and overbroad charges that have been repeatedly employed by Egyptian authorities to silence dissent and criminalize peaceful activism.

Al-Sharkawy is a well-known figure in Egypt’s post-revolution student movement, having previously served as Vice President of the Tanta University Student Union and as a member of the Egyptian Students Union. Since 2015, he has been subjected to a continuous pattern of state harassment, including arbitrary detention, forced disappearance, inclusion on terrorism lists without due process, torture at State Security facilities, prosecution before emergency courts, and a 10-year prison sentence imposed in violation of fair trial guarantees.

In May 2023, Al-Sharkawy was once again arrested and subjected to enforced disappearance for over three weeks, during which the authorities denied knowledge of his whereabouts and refused access to legal counsel or his family—an egregious breach of both Egyptian constitutional law and the Convention against Torture, to which Egypt is a party.

After careful review of the case file and defense statements, WJWC affirms that the charges are founded solely on uncorroborated security reports, with no material evidence presented. The proceedings have violated even the most fundamental guarantees of due process, including the right to a public and fair trial, access to legal representation, and the presumption of innocence.

This case reflects an ongoing policy of repression that aims to dismantle civil society, silence independent voices, and consolidate authoritarian rule. It is not an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern of systematic abuse of emergency legislation and counterterrorism laws to target peaceful activists.

Accordingly, Women Journalists Without Chains calls for:

·         The immediate and unconditional release of Moaz al-Sharkawy and all co-defendants in Case No. 540 of 2023.

·         An independent and transparent investigation into allegations of torture and enforced disappearance.

·         A moratorium on the use of emergency and special courts to try civilians.

·         Full access by defense lawyers to case files and respect for the defendants’ right to mount a legal defense.

·   International pressure on the Egyptian government to end the use of judicial institutions as tools of repression against peaceful dissent.

The continued targeting of Moaz al-Sharkawy illustrates Egypt’s deepening human rights crisis and the collapse of judicial independence. Women Journalists Without Chains will continue to monitor and expose these abuses and stand in solidarity with all those who face persecution for exercising their fundamental rights.

Released by:

Women Journalists Without Chains

May 9, 2025