Statement “Human Rights in Egypt”

#Joint_statement

Wednesday, 13th November, 2019

Geneva – Switzerland

The undersigned organizations followed the proceedings of the Egyptian human rights dossier during the discussion by the UPR mechanism at the UN Human Rights Council, in particular what was submitted by the Egyptian government as a national report to the UPR mechanism in accordance with the 5TH paragraph of the annex to Human Rights Council resolution 16/21. The undersigned organizations affirm that what has been said by the Egyptian government is totally contrary to the reality on the ground, and that these responses are just diplomatic responses, which the Egyptian government has repeatedly said in all international forums, and this confirmed the terribleness of the human rights file in Egypt, the widespread of violations and the deliberate methodology of committing them. Moreover, all organizations affirm that these violations come in accordance with the policy of the State along with its three powers “legislative, executive and judicial powers

On 14th August 2019, the signatory organizations submitted reports to the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review, which is set out on pages 16 (16 JHR – 17 SHR – 18 / JS15 SPH – 18 / JS16 HRM) of the Summary Margin, among the 72 other stakeholders, all of them confirm that the Egyptian government and authorities commit these violations under the clear codification of all crimes and violations that take place, and that the Egyptian state invokes some terms, especially “Fighting Terrorism” to try to cover up the violations that occur in the human rights file with its political, economic, social and cultural aspects. This refutes all the justifications presented by the Egyptian government.

According to the signatory organizations, any practices carried out by the Egyptian government, in a systematic and widespread manner and in accordance with state policy, are crimes against humanity and with no statute of limitation that the Egyptian government, especially its security services, must work to correct in accordance with binding legal rules.


The undersigned organizations affirm that the Egyptian government should abide by the provisions of “constitutional, legal, as well as international conventions’ provisions, ratified by the Egyptian state,” on the ground, without circumventing them, seeking to abolish them, or covering them with security actions and practices that lead to the oppression of the rules and the principles of human rights, without censorship, accountability for every person who carried them out, in violation of established legal norms – domestic and international.

The signatory organizations also affirm that the Egyptian government must ratify several conventions, the most important of which are the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty.

Signatories:

  • Justice for Human Rights Foundation (JHR) – Istanbul
  • Human Rights Monitor (HRM), London.
  • El-Shehab Center for Human Rights (SHR) – London.
  • Salam International Organization for the Protection of Human Rights (SPH) – London.
  • AFD International – Brussels.