Dr Tariq Hassan El-Masry

Egypt, Libya & Tunisia Expert — Human Rights, Political Situation & Asylum Cases

Expert at The Human Rights Experts, an international expert witness organisation.

We provide expert witness reports for asylum cases worldwide, covering human rights violations, political persecution, and systemic oppression. Our reports are trusted by lawyers, courts, and immigration authorities, in full compliance with procedural standards and tribunal requirements in the UK (CPR Part 35, Upper Tribunal PD, First-tier Tribunal IAC PD), USA (Federal Rules of Evidence), Canada, and the EU.

Occupation

• Country Witness Expert on North Africa
• Human Rights Specialist
• Legal Researcher and Academic Consultant
• Independent Journalist and Investigative Reporter on Human Rights

Expertise

I provide expert analysis on all five Refugee Convention grounds — political opinion, religion, ethnicity, membership of a particular social group (including LGBT and gender-based cases), and nationality — with a focus on the following countries:

Egypt: Egypt's political landscape since 2013 has been characterized by severe restrictions on civil liberties, including the mass prosecution of political opposition members and the sustained crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood and secular activists alike. Religious minorities, particularly Coptic Christians, face recurrent sectarian violence and institutional discrimination in areas such as church construction permits and personal status law. Women confront pervasive gender-based violence, including forced marriage and so-called "honour" practices in Upper Egypt, while LGBT individuals are systematically persecuted under public morality laws, with entrapment operations conducted through social media by security forces.

Libya: Since the collapse of centralized state authority in 2011, Libya has experienced protracted armed conflict between rival government factions, with civilian populations caught between militias, foreign mercenaries, and ongoing political fragmentation. Sub-Saharan African migrants and refugees in Libya face extreme abuse, including arbitrary detention in inhumane conditions, forced labour, and trafficking. Women and girls in conflict-affected areas are at heightened risk of sexual violence, and those perceived as affiliated with opposing political or tribal factions face reprisal attacks. There is no legal protection for LGBT individuals, who face violence from both armed groups and communities operating under conservative social codes.

Tunisia: Although Tunisia's post-2011 democratic transition was initially regarded as a model for the region, the concentration of executive power since 2021 has led to the arrest of political opponents, journalists, and civil society figures under broadly defined national security charges. Migrants from sub-Saharan Africa have been targeted in waves of xenophobic violence, fuelled by political rhetoric linking migration to demographic and security threats. Women's rights, while more advanced than in neighbouring states on paper, are undermined by domestic violence and unequal inheritance provisions. LGBT individuals face prosecution under Article 230 of the Penal Code, which criminalizes consensual same-sex relations with up to three years' imprisonment.

Experience

• Prepared over 150 expert witness reports on country conditions in Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia for asylum and human rights proceedings before UK and US courts and tribunals
• Provided oral testimony and written legal analysis in cases involving political persecution, religious discrimination, and gender-based violence in North Africa
• Contributed to country condition research and policy briefings for international human rights NGOs operating in the Middle East and North Africa region
• Senior Lecturer in Human Rights Law, Ain Shams University, Faculty of Law, Cairo
• Expert member of The Human Rights Experts

Full professional experience is available in the CV. Please email us to receive the detailed expert CV.

Publications

Available upon request and detailed in the expert CV.

Languages

• Arabic (Fluent — native speaker, Egyptian and Modern Standard Arabic)
• English (Fluent)
• French (Professional)

Religious Groups Expertise

All religious groups

Contact Email

info@thehuman-rights.com