On 3 June 2021, the Egyptian Supreme Council of Judicial Bodies made the historic decision to approve women’s appointments as judges and prosecutors to the Administrative Judiciary (also known as the State Council) and the Public Prosecution Authority (PPA), respectively.
These are the only bodies in the Egyptian judicial system that remain exclusively male. Weeks earlier, on 8 March (International Women’s Day), Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi surprised the public by issuing a long-awaited, albeit vague, statement, directing the minister of justice to seek ‘assistance’ from women in the State Council and the PPA.
The State Council then announced that it would – on an exceptional basis – transfer to its courts some women who already serve as administrative prosecutors and state lawyers at the Administrative Prosecution Authority and the State Lawsuits Authority, respectively. However, the PPA’s policy over appointing women as public prosecutors is still ambiguous.
