On Sunday, August 27, 2023, a group of Egyptian women were brought before the Supreme State Security Prosecution and imprisoned for 15 days pending investigation in relation to the “Our Kitchen Group” case, where they were charged with preparing food for political detainees.
The women were subjected to enforced disappearance at the headquarters of the National Security Agency for different periods of time, ranging from one to three months. Some of them were subjected to several beatings, including a female doctor who was dragged during her arrest from her family home.
The Egyptian women were imprisoned pending Case No. 2976 of 2022, after they were charged with “fundraising and financing members of banned groups”!
The “Our Kitchen Group” case involves a group of women who formed a group to collect money from each other with the aim of preparing food for their detained relatives on political charges.
The case reflects the human and civil solidarity between the families of political prisoners despite the repressive measures imposed by the Egyptian regime.
Human rights organisations and the international community must act to pressure the Egyptian government to abide by international human rights laws and covenants, including stopping the use of enforced disappearance policy, investigating human rights violations, and ensuring full protection for activists.
