Egypt releases woman accused of terror charges, hit at work for being unveiled

An Egyptian pharmacist earlier beaten up by her female colleagues for not wearing the Islamic veil (hijab) has been released from custody earlier this week, pending trial over charges of “being involved in a terrorist group and spreading false news”, among others, according to a local prominent rights group that defends her.

Last September, Isis Moustafa filed a complaint at a local police station in Sharqiyah Province, northeastern Egypt, accusing her female colleagues of persecuting her and beating her at a public medical centre for being Muslim but unveiled, the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) said in a statement.

A video showing the physical assault on Moustafa had gone viral later in October, sparking the outrage of public opinion and social media.

On October 12, Sharqiya Governor Mamdouh Ghorab received Moustafa at his office and apologised to her in person, ordering a full investigation into the incident.

After Moustafa had officially reconciled with her colleagues, she was surprised to find security forces arresting her a few days later, keeping her in custody until she appeared before the local state security prosecution. She had been in detention since October 16.

Moustafa had further been charged with "stirring the public opinion", according to the EIPR statement.

She could not be reached for comment by the time of publication.

It was not immediately clear whether the court had released her on bail or not.