Nearly 100 rights organizations and public figures have denounced what they described as a “campaign of defamation and abuse” targeting lawyer and women’s rights advocate Nehad Abo El Komsan following the circulation of an audio recording attributed to her on social media.
In a joint statement issued Wednesday, the signatories said the attacks included incitement, violations of privacy, and efforts to damage her reputation, warning that such practices threaten fundamental rights and freedoms, as well as the rule of law.
The statement came days after social media users circulated a recording purportedly capturing a conversation between Abo El Komsan and a woman involved in a family dispute and child custody case. The recording has sparked widespread debate, although no official or independent technical verification of its authenticity has been made public.
Al Manassa was unable to reach Abo El Komsan for comment on Thursday. However, she previously told Cairo 24 that the recording had been generated using artificial intelligence and bore no relation to reality.
On Tuesday, Abo El Komsan announced on Facebook that she had filed a complaint with the Public Prosecutor over what she called a “systematic smear campaign” linked to the circulation of the recording. She said legal action would be taken against those involved in disseminating the material.
The rights groups’ statement said sharing or republishing materials attributed to individuals without verifying their source, authenticity, or completeness—and then using them to incite hatred or defame others—poses a threat to the public sphere and the protection of basic rights.
The signatories also rejected the use of “allegedly leaked” or “selectively edited materials” as a tool to target women’s rights defenders, damage their reputations, and undermine their public roles. They argued that women active in public life are repeatedly subjected to various forms of digital violence, defamation, and personal and moral attacks aimed at silencing them or limiting their participation in public affairs.
The organizations and public figures called for an end to the circulation of the disputed materials until the relevant authorities have examined and verified their authenticity. They also urged respect for privacy rights, the rejection of all forms of defamation, incitement, and digital violence targeting women and human rights defenders, and accountability for anyone found responsible for privacy violations or the dissemination of misleading content.
Abo El Komsan has recently been at the center of public debate over her criticism of several proposed amendments related to family law and criminal penalties. She has argued that some proposals are being advanced hastily and are driven more by emotion than by evidence-based research and specialist analysis.
