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📍 Berlin, July 8, 2025 — Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has called on German authorities to take urgent action to protect Basma Mostafa, an Egyptian investigative journalist living in exile in Berlin, from alleged transnational repression orchestrated by Egyptian state actors.
Mostafa, who fled Egypt in 2020 after repeated arrests and threats linked to her reporting on police brutality and human rights abuses, has continued to face surveillance, intimidation, and harassment on German soil. According to RSF and a December 2024 report by UN Special Rapporteurs, these tactics include physical assault, online smear campaigns, and threats of sexual violence, particularly during a July 2022 protest against Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s visit to Berlin.
🛡️ International and Domestic Response
- RSF’s German director Anja Osterhaus condemned the situation as “scandalous,” emphasizing that Mostafa’s case exemplifies the persistence of authoritarian repression beyond borders.
- Former German Human Rights Commissioner Luise Amtsberg described the harassment as “clearly the work of representatives, on the orders or with the complicity of the Egyptian authorities”.
- The UN Special Rapporteurs expressed grave concern over the “repeated and prolonged harassment” and cyberattacks, suggesting Mostafa is being targeted for her work as a journalist and human rights defender.
📜 Legal Framework Germany is bound by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which guarantees:
- Freedom of expression (Article 19)
- Right to privacy (Article 17)
Amtsberg reaffirmed Germany’s commitment to protecting exiled journalists and human rights defenders, stating that threats to their freedoms must not be tolerated.
⚠️ Call for Action RSF and allied organizations are urging the German government to:
- Investigate all incidents of harassment and surveillance
- Provide legal, psychological, and security support
- Establish a centralized contact point for victims of transnational repression
Germany’s May 2025 coalition agreement includes a pledge to “effectively combat” such repression, and the G7 summit in June echoed concerns about its global rise.
For further details, see RSF’s full statement here and the UN-backed report via Jurist.
