Abdelmajid was last seen on 29 May 2014 in Al Kanater prison, after being held in different detention places. Since then, her family took several steps to shed light on her abduction and consequent incommunicado detention but none of them were successful to date. Recently, the Head of the South Assiut Prosecution office, Mohamed Bek Abou Krisha told them that the investigation was ongoing and that they couldn't provide them with any information on her whereabouts. The Assiut police then proceeded to summon and question Abdelmajid's family on their political opinions. Fearing reprisals from the security services, they stopped their enquiries.

Although Alkarama was not able to obtain information about their case, six other women have disappeared on the same day in similar circumstances. "The practice of enforced disappearances in Egypt is becoming if not systematic increasingly common. Symptomatic of a serious deterioration of the human rights situation in a given country, the increase in this practice does not bode well for Egypt," worries Alkarama's Legal Director, Rachid Mesli. As to why these women were abducted, Mesli explains that "the main reason is to terrorize the population, because abducting a woman does not only terrorize the victim itself, but also and primarily her family and closed ones, who fear that she might be raped in detention, a practice on which the Egyptian authorities generally turn a blind eye."

In light of this information, Alkarama sent an urgent appeal to the United Nations Working Group on Enforced Disappearance, soliciting their urgent intervention with the Egyptian authorities to release Abdelmajid immediately and to launch an exhaustive and thorough investigation into her disappearance. The Egyptian authorities should respect their obligations under international law and end the rampant practice of enforced disappearances and incommunicado detention in the country.

For more information or quotes by Alkarama's Executive or Legal Director or local partners, please contact the media team on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (Dir: +41 22 734 1007 Ext: 810).