A reconciliation session convened on 24 October by authorities in the village of Nazlat Jalf, Beni Mazar, in Upper Egypt’s Minya Province in the aftermath of sectarian violence which broke out the day before, has imposed unjust and excessive conditions on the entire family of a Christian teenager. 

Violence erupted in the village after rumours of a relationship between a 17-year-old Christian boy and a 16-year-old Muslim girl circulated online, causing members of the Muslim community to attack Christian homes and properties. Egypt’s Minister of Interior Affairs later announced that the authorities had arrested two individuals (one Christian and one Muslim) who were reportedly involved in online incitement. 

At the reconciliation session on 24 October, authorities in Nazlat Jalf ruled that the family of the Christian teenager accused of being involved in the interreligious relationship would be fined one million Egyptian Pounds (approximately 16,000 GBP) and exiled from the village. There is no news on the circumstances of the Muslim girl who was allegedly involved in the relationship. 

Activists and political parties, including the Egyptian Liberal Party, the Egyptian Social Democratic Party and the Generation Party, issued statements condemning the use of a reconciliation session to resolve the tensions, highlighting that these sessions typically deprive the more vulnerable of justice. In one such statement Maha Abdulnasser MP also condemned collective punishment and enforced displacement, and demanded a full investigation and the implementation of law. 

CSW’s CEO Scot Bower said: ‘CSW is concerned at the imposition of discriminatory, excessive and ad-hoc punishments on the entire family of a teenager on account of his alleged involvement in an interreligious relationship. This case provides a stark illustration of the fundamental flaw in the use of reconciliation sessions to resolve sectarian tensions. These sessions do not provide true justice and often punish victims unduly, while failing to address the root causes of tensions. We call on the Egyptian government to ensure full implementation of the law and equal treatment for every citizen regardless of their religion or belief.’