The Arab Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and the Legal Profession (ACIJLP), together with the Arab Coalition for the International Criminal Court, is monitoring the US-Israel-Iran war and the accompanying military operations that have affected most of the Arab Gulf states (Qatar, Kuwait, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates). These military operations have resulted in acts that may rise to the level of the crime of aggression, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, in accordance with Articles 5, 7, 8, and 8 bis (A) of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. The ACIJLP considers that ratification by the Arab Gulf states of the Rome Statute establishing the International Criminal Court would grant them the right to request investigations and prosecutions in relation to the military operations to which they are subjected. This right is accorded to States Parties to the Court where the alleged crimes have occurred after 2002, in line with the Court’s temporal jurisdiction.

 To read the full statement, please open the link :

Cairo, 26 March 2026

Egypt: 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.

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

Egypt Wide for Human Rights

El Nadeem Center

Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)

The Arab Center For The Independence of the Judiciary and the Legal Profession (ACIJLP)

The Justice Support Foundation at the Arab Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and the Legal Profession expresses its profound concern and deep disquiet regarding circulating reports of directives issued by the executive authority seeking to abolish the Judges’ Appointments Office at the Office of the General Prosecutor, assign the Military Academy responsibility for the training and appointment of new assistant prosecutors, and assume authority over judicial promotion files. This concern is further exacerbated by the fact that, as of the issuance of this statement, no official body has come forward to deny these reports.

The Foundation affirms that judges, as those entrusted with making final determinations affecting citizens’ lives, freedoms, rights, obligations, and property, in accordance with the United Nations Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary, are not defending a private or corporatist interest. Rather, judicial independence is a matter that directly concerns the fundamental rights and freedoms of citizens and the protection of both private and public property.

 To read the full statement, please open the link :

Cairo, 22 January 2026

The Arab Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and the Legal Profession (ACIJLP), in cooperation with the Arab Coalition for the International Criminal Court, held a seminar on the margins of the Assembly of States Parties convened in The Hague from December 1–6, 2025, entitled “The current position of Arab states regarding the International Criminal Court.” The seminar was attended by numerous representatives of International Criminal Court (ICC) member states, international and regional organizations, and members of the Secretariat of the Coalition for the International Criminal Court.

Nasser Amin, Director of the ACIJLP, reviewed the evolution of Arab states’ positions from the 1998 Rome Conference to the present day. He noted that the Arab stance has undergone significant shifts over almost 27 years, ranging from outright rejection and caution toward the very concept of the ICC to a limited rate of ratification of the Rome Statute, with only 13 Arab states having done so. This was followed by a further development marked by the ratification of the Statute by five Arab states (Jordan, Djibouti, Comoros, Tunisia, and Palestine), and subsequently by growing support from several countries in the region for the Court’s work and commendation of its recent decisions. However, no substantial progress has been made toward additional accessions to the Court.

 To read the full statement, please open the link :

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Cairo, December 4, 2025

The Arab Centre for the Independence of the Judiciary and the Legal Profession (ACIJLP) is participating in the 24th session of the Assembly of States Parties to the International Criminal Court, scheduled to be held in The Hague from 1 to 6 December.

The session will examine the challenges facing the International Criminal Court recently, with the participation of delegations from member and non-member states, civil society organizations, and regional and international institutions.

The agenda of the session includes extensive discussions and deliberations on the Court’s activity reports, the activities of the Office, and the report of the Board of Directors of the Trust Fund for Victims. The session will also address the organization of the Court’s work, the election of members of the Budget and Finance Committee, and the election of a new member of the Board of Directors of the Trust Fund for Victims.

 To read the full statement, please open the link :

Cairo, December 1, 2025

The Arab Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and the Legal Profession (ACIJLP) followed with deep concern and dismay the decision of the House of Representatives, during a single session held on 16 October, to approve the amendments introduced by the government to the draft Criminal Procedures Law, in response to the observations contained in the presidential memorandum regarding eight articles of the said draft. The approval was granted without any notable modification, as the government’s proposals were endorsed in their entirety, despite the clear unconstitutionality of certain provisions added by the government. Even more troubling is the claim that the Constitution does not explicitly address the concept of procedural necessity, or, in other words, that it is “constitutionally deficient.”

The ACIJLP considers that the approval by the House of Representatives of the amended text of Article 48 of the Criminal Procedures Law, which authorizes public authorities to enter homes and inhabited premises “in cases of distress, imminent danger, fire, drowning, or similar circumstances,” constitutes a grave concern. The addition of the phrase “or similar circumstances” leaves the door wide open for law enforcement officers to enter private homes without a judicial warrant supported by cause, in violation of Article 58 of the Constitution and the sanctity of private dwellings.

 To read the full statement, please open the link :

Cairo: October 17, 2025