Human rights group Amnesty International has called on Egyptian authorities to ensure the safety of transgender woman Malak al-Kashef.
According to the group, al-Kashef was seized during a police raid from her home in Giza in the early hours of Wednesday (March 6) and has not been heard from since, her lawyers unable to locate her and several police stations denying holding her in their custody.
Al-Kashef became first known in Egypt as a LGBT+ rights activist when she began documenting her transition on Facebook, reported Egypt-based news outlet Mada Masr. She had also publicly discussed her suicide attempt in 2018 and the continuous harassment she faced in public spaces.
Amnesty International believes al-Kashef was arrested after calling for peaceful protests following a fatal train crash in Cairo’s central train station on February 27, which killed at least 20 people.
According to Mada Masr, security forces have arrested around 70 people across Egypt in the past week suspected of involvement in the anti-gvoernment protests—only 10 of them have been released, while the whereabouts of dozens of others are unknown.
While al-Kashef was in the process of transitioning, her official documents still recognise her as male—as such, campaigners fear she may be held in men’s prison, facing high risk of torture and abuse.
“There are real fears for the physical safety and psychological well-being of Malak al-Kashef,” said Magdalena Mughrabi, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa deputy director.
“Talk about Malak al-Kashef. let it be known that her arrest is unfair and violent and heartbreaking.”
— LGBT+ activist on Twitter
Mughrabi continued: “Malak al-Kashef appears to have been detained solely for peacefully exercising her rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
Due to her gender identity, Malak is at increased risk of torture by the police, including rape and sexual violence, as well as assault by other detainees.”
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