A prominent Egyptian women's rights activist has been arrested

Prominent women's rights activist in Egypt Azza Soliman is the latest victim of the country's ongoing crackdown on activists and journalists. 

On December 7, an investigative judge issued a warrant for Soliman's arrest.

Security forces then arrived to Soliman’s house to take her to a Cairo police station. Following a thorough interrogation, Soliman was released on bail amounting to 20,000 Egyptian pounds.

There was no immediate comment from the interior ministry about Soliman's arrest. The charges she was being faced with, if any, were not made clear. 

Soliman's arrest represents "a chilling escalation against independent civil society in Egypt," said Mohamed Lotfy, of the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms, according to The Guardian.  

"Azza’s arrest unmasks the government’s animosity not just to human rights defenders in general, but also to the independent Egyptian feminist movement," he said.

Soliman, the founder of the Center for Egyptian Women's Legal Assistance (CEWLA), was first denied access to leave the Cairo Airport earlier in November. Her personal and organizational assets were frozen soon after. 

The government's crackdown on reporters, political activists and social reformers has drawn condemnation from international human rights organizations and Western governments. 

Earlier this year, Amnesty International described the crackdown on non-governmental organizations as "unprecedented," a major accusation given that the country has always been run by totalitarian rulers.

"Witness the right one pays for having the courage to speak the truth"

In June, Liliane Daoud was detained and deported by the Egyptian authorities, hours after ONTV ended her contract. 

Daoud, a former BBC reporter, was known for criticizing the Egyptian government in her show "Al Soura Al Kamila" (The Full Picture), which broadcasted on the private Egyptian network ONTV the past five years.

"I stand in solidarity with #AzzaSoliman and with human rights activists and groups in Egypt who are facing genocide, cancellation and suppression by the Government"

The governmental crackdown on activists began in July 2011, five months after Hosni Mubarak was overthrown. 

Under Egyptian law, leading human rights defenders could face charges if caught working without official registration or accepting foreign funding without governmental authorization. 

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi passed an amendment to the penal code in September 2014 that allows for life imprisonment if charged for the latter.