Egypt Arrests Women Protesting Israel’s War on Gaza Outside UN Women’s Office
Egyptian security forces clamped down on a peaceful protest staged by women outside the headquarters of UN Women in Cairo on Tuesday. The demonstration, intended to express solidarity with women in conflict zones like Gaza and Sudan, ended with the detention of several activists, highlighting the Egyptian government’s continued suppression of dissent.
Local media and activists reported the forceful dispersal of the protest and the arrest of participants, including prominent figures like Mahienour el-Masry, Lobna Darwish, and Rasha Azab.
The detained women had gathered to deliver a powerful message to UN Women, the UN agency dedicated to gender equality and women’s empowerment. Their letter, a testament to their outrage, condemned the human rights violations and war crimes impacting women in conflict zones.
“We are a group of Egyptian women appalled by the atrocities committed against our sisters in Gaza,” the letter proclaimed, directly addressing the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It further criticised the perceived inaction of the UN in protecting vulnerable populations, particularly women, from sexual violence and other war crimes.
The letter went on to accuse UN Women of failing its mandate by not holding perpetrators accountable and neglecting to investigate alleged atrocities.
Adding to the concern is the lack of information regarding the detained activists. Hossam Bahgat, director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), reported losing contact with Lobna Darwish, his organisation’s director of the women’s rights and gender program. His attempts to locate those detained, including Darwish, have been unsuccessful.
While the exact number remains unclear, estimates suggest at least 15 women activists are being held incommunicado, their phones switched off, and their whereabouts unknown.
This incident is not an isolated event. Since President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s rise to power over a decade ago, Egypt has witnessed a systematic crackdown on protests and public expressions of dissent. Pro-Palestinian demonstrations, in particular, have been met with swift and harsh measures by security forces.
Since October 2021, in response to the Israeli offensive in Gaza, dozens of peaceful protestors have been taken into custody. These detentions followed a large-scale rally in Cairo’s iconic Tahrir Square, a potent symbol of the 2011 revolution that toppled former President Hosni Mubarak. Since then, pro-Palestinian demonstrations have become smaller and more easily dispersed by authorities.
The targeting of a peaceful gathering organised by women specifically highlights the Egyptian government’s narrowing tolerance for dissent, even when it concerns human rights violations and the plight of women caught in conflict zones.
The recent detentions come on the heels of similar incidents. In late November, four international activists were detained for over a day following a pro-Palestine protest outside the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Security forces also dispersed a women’s pro-Palestine march on International Women’s Day in March. On April 4th, at least ten protesters were apprehended during a vigil outside the Journalists’ Syndicate critical of the government’s role in the Gaza blockade.
These repeated crackdowns raise serious concerns about the Egyptian government’s commitment to fundamental human rights and freedoms of assembly and expression. The silencing of these women’s voices, raised in solidarity with the suffering of others, paints a troubling picture of a regime increasingly intolerant of dissent and unwilling to engage with criticism, even when it concerns the well-being of women caught in the throes of conflict.
