18 January 2026
The undersigned human rights organizations denounce the continued refusal by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the administration of the Higher Technological Institute in 6th of October to implement a final and binding judicial ruling issued in favor of Professor Dr. Manar al-Tantawy. Dr. Tantawy is a professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Higher Technological Institute in 6th of October. The ruling definitively affirms Tantawy’s right of promotion to the rank of Professor, a decision that is final and not subject to appeal, and legally enforceable. Compounded by the arbitrary and systematic administrative persecution against her, Dr. Tantawy continues to be refused her rightful promotion, constituting a grave violation of the rule of law and the academic and labor rights guaranteed by the constitution.
The undersigned affirm that the case of Professor Dr. Tantway represents more than an individual employment dispute; it points to an alarming broader phenomenon wherein higher education institutions refuse to implement judicial rulings and use administrative and disciplinary tools to pressure and punish. This undermines the independence of academic institutions while jettisoning the legal rights of faculty members.
On 18 January 2026, Dr. Tantawy’s appeal was accepted in the lawsuit she filed (no. 73299 of 78) against the Ministry of Higher Education and the Higher Technological Institute in 6th of October for Engineering. The Administrative Court annulled the negative decision by the ministry and institute to refrain from implementing the ruling of the Administrative Judicial Court, which stipulates Dr. Manar al-Tantawy’s entitlement to the rank of Professor. This latest ruling essentially exhausts all legal avenues for obstruction by the Institute and the Ministry.
In 2019, Professor Dr. Manar Tantawy’s scientific output was evaluated by the relevant permanent scientific committee of the Supreme Council of Universities. In December 2019, the committee concluded that she fully met all scientific and legal conditions for promotion to Professor. In February 2020, the Board of Directors of the Higher Technological Institute in 6th of October approved the promotion, and the Ministry of Higher Education was formally contacted for endorsement. But the Ministry of Higher Education, without any legal basis or legitimate justification, refrained from issuing the necessary decision to implement the promotion, compelling Professor Dr. Tantway to resort to the judiciary. The Administrative Judiciary Court ruled in her favor, a ruling later upheld by the Supreme Administrative Court, rendering it final, binding, and enforceable. Despite this, the relevant administrative body continues to refuse its implementation to this date, in clear violation of Article 100 of the Egyptian Constitution, which criminalizes the refusal to implement judicial rulings.
Since 2021, Dr. Manar al-Tantawy has endured a spate of arbitrary measures including repeated administrative investigations marred by serious procedural violations and referral to several disciplinary boards, all of which ended without conviction. These practices reflect a clear pattern of using disciplinary procedures as a tool for persecution and pressure outside the framework of the law, thus depriving Dr. Tantawy of her entitled administrative and academic positions.
Throughout 2025, the pace of the violations against Dr. Tantawy escalated unprecedentedly, particularly following the appointment of a new administration at the Institute. Tantawy’s teaching schedule was withdrawn without legal justification, and she was treated in a manner that diminished her deserved academic standing. She faced substantial salary deductions and her regular leaves were converted into emergency leaves and counted as absences. This occurred within a pressurized context demonstrating an intent to restrict her, amounting to an attempt to force her to leave her job instead of implementing the judicial ruling. These acts represent disguised penalties and retaliatory measures prohibited by law, which may only be taken within the framework of legitimate disciplinary controls and full procedural guarantees—conditions not met in this case.
The human rights organizations affirm that Professor Dr. Manar Tantawy is facing not only a severe violation of academic freedom but also a clear violation of fundamental labor rights and protections stipulated in Labor Law No. 14 of 2025. These rights and protections include the prohibition of arbitrary penalization, the right to remuneration, and protection from abuse of functional authority, including refusal to implement a judicial ruling. Dr. Tantway is also facing violations of her constitutional rights; the right to academic freedom, the right to a fair career path, the right to remuneration, and protection from arbitrary penalties, in violation of articles 12, 13, 21, 22, and 100 of the Egyptian Constitution.
The undersigned further affirm that the practices of the Ministry of Education and Higher Technological Institute concurrently violate Egypt’s international obligations, foremost among them the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which guarantees the right to work under just and favorable conditions, the right to remuneration without arbitrary deductions, and protection from unjustified punitive measures. They also violate the standards of the International Labor Organization, which prohibit the use of administrative authority to punish or coerce and obligate states to ensure effective protection for workers from any form of professional persecution or retaliation for claiming rights, in addition to contravening the UNESCO recommendations concerning the status of higher education teaching personnel
Dr. Manar al-Tantawy’s case raises serious concerns about the state of academic freedom and the limits of using administrative authority within university institutions, especially when related to disputes involving the exercise of legal and professional rights. This incident raises legitimate questions about the extent to which the principles of equality and non-discrimination are respected within academia. It is necessary to ensure that administrative measures do not disproportionately harm women working in higher education.
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The undersigned human rights organizations demand the following:
- Immediate and full implementation of the Supreme Administrative Court ruling affirming Professor Dr. Manar al-Tantawy’s right to promotion to the rank of Professor, along with all its legal, academic, and financial implications.
- Immediate cessation of all forms of administrative persecution and restriction against Dr. Tantawy, ensuring her full enjoyment of her academic and professional rights without discrimination or retaliation.
- Accountability for those responsible for refusing to implement the final judicial ruling, in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and the law.
- Respect for the independence of higher education institutions and assurance that violations against faculty members are not repeated.
If an educational system is to be credible, it is fundamental that it respects judicial rulings and treats university professors in a dignified manner. Continued impunity for unlawful conduct by higher educational institutions undermines the principle of the rule of law and jeopardizes the future of higher education in Egypt.
#Dignity_of_University_Professor_is_a_Red_Line
#No_to_Contempt_of_Laws
#No_to_Contempt_of_Judicial_Rulings
#Professorship_is_a_Right #Stop_Persecution #Rule_of_Law
Signatories:
- Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms
- Law and Democracy Support Foundation
- Egyptian Front for Human Rights
- El Nadeem Center
- Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights
- Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
- Egyptian Platform for Human Rights