Egypt

Women’s rights advocate receives death threat

An Egyptian women's rights activist said she received a death threat because of a statement she made about the consequences of canceling the law that gives women the right to initiate divorce. 

Nehad Abul Komsan, head of the Egyptian Center for Women's Rights (ECWR), filed a report about the incident with the attorney general's office on Sunday.

On 14 April, Abul Komsan told Al-Masry Al-Youm that canceling the khul, the law that gives women the right to divorce their husbands, would be a major setback for women's rights in Egypt. Egypt adopted a form of the Islamic law in 2000.

She said the letter she received included abusive words and insults against her and that the sender identified himself as the "northern region's enforcer for the religious discipline monitoring group."

The attorney general's office manager heard Abul Komsan's account and referred her complaint to the district attorney as a step toward investigating the incident.

Abul Komsan said she was not panicked by the letter but reported the incident because of its potential danger.

"Has Egypt become divided into regions and emirates?" she wondered.

The Arab Organization for Human Rights on Monday issued a statement that condemned the threat and asked for protection for Abul Komsan. It urged human rights organizations to voice solidarity with women's rights.

Translated from the Arabic Edition

Related Articles

Back to top button