The Egyptian Center for Women’s Legal Assistance (CEWLA) has ended its relationship with a contracted lawyer after two independent panels determined he sent an “explicit and sexually inappropriate” image to a woman before joining the organization.
The lawyer, identified by his initials (R.M.), was suspended in February after legal activist Nessma El-Khatib, founder of the Sanad initiative for the legal support of women, lodged a complaint.
The case became public when El-Khatib wrote on Facebook in February that she had collected multiple testimonies of misconduct involving R.M. One came from a close friend who said she had received an unsolicited photo of his genitalia in a private message four years earlier.
El-Khatib said R.M. was once a friend with a visible presence in political circles, but she cut ties after gathering testimonies.
CEWLA launched an investigation and appointed an independent panel consisting of lawyer Mahienour El-Massry, human rights attorney Mohamed El-Baqer, and feminist activist Lobna Darwish.
The first committee concluded the image had been sent. “His outright denial closed off any chance for reflection or accountability,” the panel wrote. While he rejected responsibility, the committee emphasized the importance of eventual reform.
At R.M.’s request, a second grievance panel was formed, including attorneys Heba Adel and Zeinab Khair, and a third unnamed rights lawyer. It also found the incident had occurred, though it allowed for the possibility it was an “unintentional mistake.”
Based on both panels’ conclusions, CEWLA announced it would cut all professional ties with R.M. and suspend future cooperation for at least two years. The group said it would only reconsider if no further complaints arise during that time.
The organization also offered six psychological support sessions to the complainant, contingent on her consent, and committed to tightening recruitment documentation and background vetting.
“Although the incident happened four years before his work with us, we pursued the investigation out of commitment to feminist and human rights values,” CEWLA said. “Every woman or girl who brings us a complaint deserves to be heard and protected.”
