Human rights lawyer Azza Soliman was granted release on EGP 20,000 bail pending investigations on Wednesday. She was arrested from her home that same day in order for investigations to be conducted into her involvement in the NGOs foreign funding case.
The arrest warrant for Soliman, co-founder and director of the Centre for Egyptian Women Legal Assistance (CEWLA), was issued by Judge Hesham Abdel Mageed, who is investigating the foreign funding case. A number of other prominent human rights defenders accused in the NGOs case have had their assets frozen.
Several public figures and politicians expressed their solidarity with her, condemning the way in which she was arrested. Several prominent lawyers accompanied her to the prosecution for the investigations.
On 22 November, Soliman filed an appeal against the decision ordering that her assets be frozen—issued by the general prosecutor. She was told that her assets were frozen by bank employees.
On 19 November, Soliman was barred from travelling to the Jordanian capital of Amman to attend a human rights conference. The security forces at the airport failed to provide her with a reason for the travel ban. Soliman told Daily News Egypt back then that she will visit the general prosecutor to understand the reasons behind the decision.
