Front Line welcomes the sentencing of Mr Ahmed Anter Ebraheem to six year's imprisonment for physically assaulting human rights defender Dr Magda Adly. However, Front Line expresses concern that the police officer accused of ordering the attack, whose identity is known to Front Line, has not been charged. Magda Adly is a medical professional and the director of the El Nadim Centre for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence, an organisation that assists victims of torture and violence through research, training, counselling and raising public awareness.

On 28 March 2009, the Fifth Section of the Dhamanhur Criminal Court sentenced Ahmed Anter Ebraheem to six years' imprisonment for physically assaulting Magda Adly. Neither Ahmed Anter Ebraheem nor his lawyers attended the trial. Ahmed Anter Ebraheem, an employee of the Egypt's Central Security Apparatus, had been apprehended red-handed by the public at the time of the assault when he was claimed to be off duty. He claimed that he was acting under the instructions of a chief investigator at Kafr El Dawwar police station. His family told members of the El Nadim Centre that he had been summoned to Kafr El Dawwar police station and ordered to hit Magda Adly and rob her bag. He was reportedly threatened with criminal charges if he refused to follow these instructions. He and his sister, who testified in support of the claims of his family before the prosecutor, had reportedly been detained at Kafr El Dawwar police station previously. Since the attack, there have been many delays in the case and the prosecutor has been changed many times.

Whilst Ahmed Anter Ebraheem has been sentenced to six years' imprisonment, the officer from the Kafr El Dawwar police force who allegedly ordered the assault and has also been accused in other torture cases was reportedly transferred to the central police magistrate in what appears to be a promotion. No charges have been brought against him although Magda Adly has filed a civil lawsuit against him for planning the assault.

The assault took place on 30 April 2008 in Kafr El Dawwar in the district of Beheira. After having testified in favour of detainees who had reportedly been tortured by intelligence officers of the Kafr El Dawwar police force, Magda Adly became the victim of a knife attack. The attacker robbed Magda Adly's handbag and assaulted her severely in the presence of many people, including the head of intelligence of the Kafr El Dawwar police force. Magda Adly's shoulder was broken, she suffered head injuries, and she lost consciousness for 30 minutes. Despite this, she was interrogated for four hours on the day of the incident by the prosecutor. Meanwhile, the confession of her attacker was not registered. The handbag which was robbed reportedly contained evidence relating to her case. The car of Dr Mona Hamdy, a psychiatrist at the El Nadim Centre, which had been parked outside the building, was also vandalised.

Front Line believes that the attack and mugging against Magda Adly was related to her legitimate work in the defence of human rights, in particular her work to defend the rights of victims of torture. Front Line is concerned that the case has not been thoroughly investigated and that officials involved in the assault and possible acts of torture have not faced charges.