At a meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council on Friday, 31 countries expressed rare criticism of human rights violations in Egypt. For the first time since 2014, the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and several European countries, including the Netherlands, signed a joint statement.
In Egypt under President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, human rights violations and restrictions on freedoms are increasingly occurring. Human rights organization Human Rights Watch even speaks of the “worst human rights crisis in decades “in Egypt.
The joint statement at the UN Human Rights Council meeting calls for greater freedom of expression and assembly, and the release of journalists, activists and alleged political opponents. They are prosecuted under the guise of, among other things, an arbitrary anti-terrorism law.
More space for civil society
Egypt is a close ally of the United States. Former US President Donald Trump called Al Sisi his “favorite dictator” in 2019. However, current US President Joe Biden wants to speak out more against human rights violations and abuse of the rule of law.
“We urge Egypt to ensure space for civil society – including human rights defenders – to work without fear of intimidation, harassment, arrest, detention or any other form of retaliation,” Finnish Ambassador Kirsti Kauppi said during the reading. of the statement.
In response, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said it was “surprised” and disapproved of the statement.
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