Lift Travel Ban imposed on Hoda Abdelwahab ten years ago

The undersigned organisations call on the Egyptian authorities to immediately lift the travel ban imposed ten years ago on Egyptian lawyer Hoda Abdelwahab, in connection with Case 173/2011 and to ensure that all human rights defenders and civil society actors can exercise their right to freedom of movement without arbitrary restrictions or prolonged administrative uncertainty. 

Hoda Abdelwahab is an Egyptian lawyer and the Executive Director of the Arab Centre for Independence of Judiciary and the Legal Profession (ACIJLP), a regional organisation established in 1997 that works to promote judicial independence, the rule of law, and respect for human rights across Egypt and the Arab region.  

ACIJLP was among the NGOs investigated in Case 173/2011, known as the “foreign funding” case targeting NGOs in Egypt in late 2011. In December 2011, police and public prosecution officials searched the organisation’s offices and seized computers and documents from the premises. 

On 20 June 2016, as she was departing to Oslo to participate in an international conference on the death penalty, Abdelwahab was informed at Cairo International Airport that a travel ban had been imposed on her by judicial order. She was never formally notified of this order and believes it is linked to Case 173/2011, which was reopened in 2016. 

In March 2024, after 13 years of investigations - and three days following the declaration of the EU–Egypt strategic partnership agreement- the Egyptian authorities officially announced the closure of Case 173/2011. The investigating judge confirmed the completion of all investigations assigned to him concerning the remaining Egyptian civil society organizations in the case.   

However, Abdelwahab remains the only human rights defender still subject to the travel ban imposed in 2016 in connection with Case 173/2011, after the authorities lifted the travel ban on her colleague Nasser Amin in December 2024. The travel ban on Hoda Abdelwahab has now been in effect for more than 10 years.  

She continues to face restrictions without formal notification or clear legal reasoning, despite repeated attempts to clarify her status, including submitting pleas and complaints to the criminal court and the Public Prosecution office. The authorities have provided only unclear responses to her requests and have not officially removed her from the case file, which remains pending before the Supreme State Security Prosecution. 

Travel bans continue to be used in Egypt as a tool to restrict the movement of human rights defenders, NGO workers, lawyers, and former detainees, often without due process or formal notification. 

The undersigned organisations call on the Egyptian authorities to immediately: 

• Lift the arbitrary travel ban imposed on Hoda Abdelwahab as well as   similar restrictions targeting human rights defenders and civil society actors; 

• Provide clear legal clarification regarding Abdelwahab’s status in Case 173/2011, particularly in light of the official closure of the case; 

• Acknowledge that ACIJLP was neither referred to trial nor formally investigated, and that the closure of Case 173/2011 confirms that there are no grounds for criminal proceedings; 

• Provide reparations for the prolonged restrictions Hoda Abdelwahab has faced due to the arbitrary travel ban and related measures; 

• Guarantee the protection of civil society and human rights defenders so they can operate without fear of intimidation, judicial harassment, or restrictions. 
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Signatories: 

• EuroMed Rights  
• Egyptian Front for Human Rights
• Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms.
• Egyptian Human Rights Forum (EHRF)
• Law and Democracy Support Foundation (LDSF) 
• Refugees Platform in Egypt (RPE)
• Sinai Foundation for Human Rights
• Committee for Justice
• EgyptWide for Human Rights
• El Nadeem Center
• Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)