Key facts
- British-Egyptian woman Eman el-Shazly was arrested in Egypt on August 16.
- Her lawyers allege the arrest is a political tactic to silence her sister, Mona el-Shazly, a UK-based critic of President Sisi.
- Eman el-Shazly is reportedly detained at the 10th of Ramadan Rehabilitation Centre.
- The UK Foreign Office has confirmed her detention and that her case is linked to her detained brothers.
- Egyptian authorities have a documented history of targeting relatives of dissidents abroad.
- Consular access for UK officials to Eman el-Shazly has been requested but not yet granted.
Eman el-Shazly, a 45-year-old British-Egyptian mother of four from Birmingham, was arrested in Egypt on August 16 while visiting her ill mother. Her lawyers contend the arrest is a politically motivated tactic by Egyptian authorities to pressure her sister, Mona el-Shazly, into ceasing her online criticism of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's government. Mona operates a YouTube channel from the UK with 130,000 subscribers, frequently discussing alleged corruption within Egypt’s security services and public utilities. Eman's lawyer stated there is ample evidence her detention is linked to her sister's political speech, a practice described as 'punishment by proxy'.
This alleged tactic is consistent with previous accusations against the Sisi government of targeting relatives of dissidents abroad. Eman's brothers, Hassan and Eid, previously spent nearly three years in pretrial detention on charges of promoting terrorism and spreading false news, and were rearrested in May. The UK Foreign Office confirmed Eman is being held at the 10th of Ramadan Rehabilitation Centre and her case is legally linked to her brothers'.
Mona el-Shazly confirmed that family members have urged her to stop her activism but stated she has done nothing wrong and must remain strong. Eman's husband, Zeesharn Moustapha, has initiated a fundraising campaign for legal costs, expressing deep concern for her safety. The UK's Foreign Office representation in Cairo has requested consular access to Eman but has not yet received a positive reply.