In Egypt, the executive director of the country’s leading human rights group has been arrested as part of an unprecedented crackdown on activists … The new NGO Law, which parliament passed in July and al-Sisi approved in August, prohibits NGOs from conducting field research, surveys, or opinion polls without government approval. whereas following a meeting with 13 foreign ambassadors and diplomats on 3 November 2020, three activists of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), one of the last independent human rights organisations in Egypt, Gasser Abdel Razek, Karim Ennarah, and Mohammad Basheer, were arrested by security forces and charged with terrorism and national security related offences between … It is not fair to label the Egyptian state as an authoritarian regime because we are fighting extremism.”. UN Women group, which works for women’s empowerment, estimated that almost a third of Egyptian women experienced intimate partner physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. Christians, the largest religious minority in Egypt, continued to face systematic discrimination on societal and institutional levels. Under these rules, which among other things prohibit “insulting state institutions,” “generalization,” and “harming state interests,” the council has censored newspapers, websites and tv shows. Detainees often face ill-treatment, abuse, and sometimes torture. Human Rights Watch documented demolitions of at least 3,600 homes and commercial buildings by the army between January and May 2018 alone. Human Rights in Egypt 9 January 2020. Former President Mohamed Morsy, whom the army forcibly removed in 2013, died on June 17 in a Cairo court room following six years of lack of medical care and near-absolute isolation in prison. Terrorist attacks against Christians continued. The Supreme Council for Media Regulation, a government entity established pursuant to the abusive new 2018 media law to monitor and control media, issued in March and September two sets of by-laws that impose drastic restrictions and disproportionate penalties without judicial oversight for any media outlet, including websites and social media pages, that do not abide by the council’s rules. Nevertheless, no one could claim that Egypt is an ideal country wherein human rights principles are fully guaranteed and respected. The government recognizes only Islam, Christianity and Judaism as official religions. Despite the 2016 penal code amendments criminalizing female genital mutilation (FGM), prosecutions of perpetrators remained rare and FGM remains widely practiced throughout the country, with an estimated four out of five genital mutilations performed by doctors in professional medical environments. Since 2014, Human Rights Watch has documented 20 extrajudicial killings of residents by government forces. Even, it is not about the challenges facing the world, these days, such as fighting terrorism and the health and economic consequences of the Coronavirus. In January, a TV anchor was sentenced to one year in prison for interviewing a gay man on television. Security forces led by the military continue to brutalize civilians in North Sinai in its conflict with Sinai Province, an armed group affiliated with the extremist group Islamic State (ISIS). The Press Law, Publications Law, and the penal code regulate and govern the press. Cairo - 18 December 2020: Egypt's House of Representatives refused in a statement, Friday the European Parliament’s resolution on the human rights situation in Egypt. Egypt was on this list 5 times in the last 15 years and was removed only briefly in 2018. Setting conditions will not allow progress in regional matters. The Egyptian state does not deny this fact and has been sincerely working, for five years, to improve human rights conditions, amidst countless political and security challenges. The essence of the problem lies in the poor choices the government makes in relation to the mechanisms used and individuals entrusted with handling this extremely complicated portfolio of advancing human rights. Human Rights Watch documented several indiscriminate and possibly unlawful air and ground attacks by security forces. Freedom House deems Egypt to have an unfree press, although mentions they have a diversity of sources. Over 160 activists or perceived dissidents were arrested or prosecuted by authorities for voicing criticism before the constitutional referendum in April. Authorities continued to subject people accused of homosexual conduct to forced anal examinations, which are cruel and degrading and can rise to the level of torture. The army has arrested and forcibly disappeared children as young as 12. Will Erdogan retreat on the S-400 missile deal? ). If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. ISIS militants also committed horrific violations, including kidnappings, torture, and killings of residents and detained security force members. The most plausible explanation, however, is the Egyptian president’s Authorities prosecuted and banned from leaving the country leading women’s rights activists, including Mozn Hassan, head of Nazra for Feminist Studies and Azza Soliman, head of the Centre for Egyptian Women’s Legal Assistance. Military and civilian courts of appeal upheld at least 32 death sentences, raising the number on death row to 74, the majority of whom were charged with political violence. According to pro-government newspapers, of about 6,000 churches and service buildings that lack legal recognition, only 1,027 were given conditional permits as of July, three years after passage of the law. They include biased media and human rights organizations with links to countries that hold animosity towards the Egyptian state and President El-Sisi, personally, such as Qatar and Turkey, because of his role in discrediting the Muslim Brotherhood and overthrowing them outside the political arena of Egypt and the entire Middle East, in 2013. Since April 2017, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has maintained a nation-wide state of emergency that gives security forces unchecked powers. Trump did not at any point publicly raise human rights concerns, instead praising al-Sisi’s “fantastic job” in Egypt. In January, two days before Christmas celebrations, a bomb outside a Coptic church in Nasr City killed a policeman. Johansson, who is Jewish, was one of several celebrities to weigh in earlier this month against the arrest of four employees of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, a Cairo human rights organization. EIPR is one of the few remaining human rights organisations in Egypt. Egyptian security forces, mainly the army, as well as ISIS-affiliated militants, committed serious and widespread abuses in North Sinai, some of which amount to war crimes, since the conflict escalated in late 2013. President al-Sisi continued to warn against anti-government protests and gatherings. Hossam Ahmed, a transgender man, was also arrested in March and ordered detained on terrorism accusations. Levant an independent media organization that broadcasts daily news on the Internet, and a printed newspaper published in London and distributed in European capitals in both Arabic and English. Human Rights in Egypt’s Relations with the World December 10, 2020 11:46 am For days before the visit of the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to France, on the sixth of December, international media and observers geared up to press the French president Emmanuel Macron into discussing one main topic with the Egyptian president. [58] During the COVID-19 pandemic , the healthcare workers in Egypt denounced the government's handling of the crisis. For the foreseeable future, human rights issues shall remain a daunting issue in Egypt’s relations with the world. In late 2018, Italian authorities named several Egyptian police and National Security Agency officers as involved in the kidnapping and murder of Italian PhD student Giulio Regeni in 2016, but Egypt failed to investigate or prosecute anyone. The two sources agree that promised reforms on the subj… US President Donald Trump met with al-Sisi on three separate occasions in 2019: in the White House in April, on the sidelines of the G7 summit in August in France, and at the UN General Assembly in September. The law also prohibits cooperating with foreign organizations or experts, or participating in any “political” activities or activities perceived to undermine “national security.”. However, the states at the council have failed to introduce a collective statement of concern despite the worsening crisis in Egypt since March 2014. Small groups of protesters gather in central Cairo shouting anti-government slogans in Cairo, Egypt September 21, 2019. In November, two United Nations experts said that such conditions “may have directly led” to his death and “may be placing the health and lives of thousands more prisoners at severe risk.” Authorities did not conduct any independent investigation into his death. Daily News Egypt December 18, 2020 Comments Off European Parliament (EU parliament) voted on a draft resolution criticising the “human rights conditions” in Egypt on Friday. It is now nearly four years since Cambridge PhD student, Giulio Regeni, doing field research in Egypt, disappeared off the streets of Cairo in January 2016. This council will supervise and be able to intervene in the judiciary’s affairs, including appointments and promotions. In August, President al-Sisi approved a new law that maintains most of the drastic restrictions imposed on nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Rather, the pressing topic that preoccupied the Egyptian-French summit was the status of human rights in Egypt. In November, during the Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Egypt received strong criticism and scores of recommendations from countries from every region. This is what Egypt needs to fix, as a first urgent and proper step, towards improving human rights conditions. Egypt adopts integrated human rights concept, including right to health, security, education, and social care, said former foreign minister Mohamed El … Security forces used torture and enforced disappearances systematically against dissidents from all backgrounds. Despite several government promises to lift restrictions, the law merely removes prison penalties but maintains severe restrictions that make it impossible for NGOs to work freely and independently. “The policy of dialogue is better than the policy of boycott, which harms our ability to fight terrorism and our work for regional stability. The court said that the charges “contradict democratic values and the country’s obligations under international law.” The case involved staffers from four American organizations and one German. Sinai Province militants have kidnapped, tortured, and extrajudicially executed civilians, routinely targeting those they perceive to be pro-government. These demolitions are carried out without any judicial oversight or independent recourse mechanism. Shoukry made his statement during a meeting with the Technical Secretariat of the Permanent Supreme Committee of Human Rights. Despite the delay on reforming civil and political rights, Egypt witnessed a leap on improving economic, social, and cultural rights, thanks to new legislative amendments and national projects targeting improving health, housing, and security conditions, as well as protecting freedom of religion. In response to the same question, President El-Sisi noted that “the Egyptian state has been fighting an extremist Islamic organization that has been wreaking havoc in Egypt for over 90 years (in reference to the Muslim Brotherhood). We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. EGYPT 2019 HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY According to its constitution, Egypt is a republic governed by an elected president and unicameral legislature. Civilian and military courts sentenced hundreds of individuals to death in 2019, often in mass trials in cases that stem from alleged political violence or planned violence. The case, known as the “Hope Coalition” case, involves activists who were allegedly planning a new political coalition to contest the 2020 elections. Egypt continued to stall on a law that would tackle domestic violence. Egypt continued to repress lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights, in recent years prosecuting dozens of people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. A leading human rights group in Egypt says security forces have detained two members of its staff in recent days. Sinai Province runs detention sites where civilians are held and interrogated. a hearing on the trends of politics, economics, and human rights in Egypt. Human Rights Watch defends the rights of people in 90 countries worldwide, spotlighting abuses and bringing perpetrators to justice, Human Rights Watch is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit registered in the US under EIN: 13-2875808, Fair Trials, Due Process, and the Death Penalty, Violence against Women, Girls, and LGBT People, Two Years After #MeToo Erupts, A New Treaty Anchors Workplace Shifts, Holding Companies to Account: Momentum Builds for Corporate Human Rights Duties, As Killer Robots Loom, Demands Grow to Keep Humans in Control of Use of Force, Shutting Down the Internet to Shut Up Critics, With Millions Out of School, the Countdown Begins to Get All Children into Quality, Accessible Education, Going to the Bank for Food, Not Money: The Growing Reality of Hunger in “Rich” Countries, 600 news and political and human rights websites. In October, the European Parliament adopted a strong resolution condemning abuses in Egypt and North Sinai, the third such resolution in less than two years, but the European Union failed to adopt concrete measures in response. Presidential elections were held in … Egyptian authorities are accused of detaining more … However, the real obstacle which is preventing Egypt from making tangible progress on the civil and political rights agenda, is not the lack of will or lack of sincerity by the political leadership. Under Sisi, Egypt has seen a widespread crackdown against human rights groups and independent media. One of these activists, lawyer Gamal Eid, was physically attacked in October by armed men in circumstances that indicated government involvement. Rouhani’s hasty speech and Fantasizing-dreaming, Recently sanctioned Iran Foundation, regime’s slush fund for terrorism, Ministers criticised for plans to create 500 new UK prison places for women, Cheshire cheesemaker says business left with £250,000 ‘Brexit hole’, Too early to say’: scientists unsure if UK Covid variant is more deadly, Child benefit: government urged to raise high income charge threshold. 12 Cumberland AvePark Royal, London NW10 7QL, Vereinigtes Königreich. Reporters Without Borders2006 report indicates continued harassment and, in three cases, imprisonment, of journalists. Egypt: Human rights activist arrested outside Public Prosecutor’s office 23 June 2020, 17:06 UTC Egyptian security forces today whisked away human rights activist and former prisoner of conscience Sanaa Seif from outside the Public Prosecutor’s office in New Cairo, where she was waiting to file a complaint after suffering a violent assault. Accepting the Danger of Human Rights Work in Egypt, With Food and Humor Before his recent arrest, Gasser Abdel-Razek had no illusions about the risks in being a leading rights … Egypt’s military has forcibly evicted roughly 100,000 North Sinai residents, or one-fifth of North Sinai’s population, and destroyed thousands of homes since 2014. In April and May, Egypt hosted the 64th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), the African Union’s top rights body, in an oppressive atmosphere. Two female participants were sexually assaulted by registration officials in Sharm al-Sheikh, and others reported physical surveillance. Organizations refusing to provide information about their activities can expect fines of half-a-million Egyptian pounds (US$30,000). In June, the International Labour Organization placed Egypt on its list of countries that abuse workers and do not respect their right to organize and unionize. 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