Center for Egyptian Legal Women Assistance(CEWLA) announces its the Egyptian citizen Najla Wafa, who was arrested in Saudi Arabia on 30/9/2009 who spends the penalty of five years imprisonment and 500 lashes on her body.lashes penalty carried out on her on successive time that will be completed at early date, but it is not known..

The Saudi authorities have arrested the Egyptian citizen, “Mrs. Najla Yahya Wafa ” due to dispute in business partnership with one of the princesses in the royal family, and as a result to that Najla was arrested and all her personal properties, documents and her works as an Egyptian investor were confiscated inside the kingdom.

She was badly treated by the investigator and was not able to hire a lawyer , as a result to the interventions and the influence of the opponent.

The judgment was issued against her on June 14, 2011, and was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment and 500 lashes on her body. She appealed against this verdict before the court of cassation and the court approved on dropping the penalty as there is no reason to condemn her, but the case went back again to the court legally so the court was forced to approve the verdict .

CEWLA asks the concerned authorities led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Egypt in Saudi Arabia to intervene seriously and prevent this serious attack, which affects the an Egyptian citizen under the umbrella of judgment that wasted her right to defend and giving a deaf ear to unfair investigation to attack her.

As well, we also call on the Foreign Ministry to put in its future plans to have fit representation for the embassies and consulates that go on with the density of the Egyptians abroad like in Saudi Arabia where a lot of the Egyptians work there, as this formal intensive representation owns all means of support to be able to intervene and protect the millions of the Egyptians against any injustice or oppression practiced by the authorities of this country against them. It is the time for the Egyptian foreign ministry to shoulder the responsibility and restore its pride and meet the dignity of a country that a lot of free young people died for its sake.

Also, we call on the Presidency and the Egyptian Foreign ministry to:

- intervene immediately to stop the penalty beating by lash.

- Forming a legal committee to look up the case and following the procedures of litigation and accusation.

- taking all the judicial and political measures to release Najla Wafa, in light of the committee’s report.

CEWLA