Egypt: Human rights under scrutiny

Written on November 15th, 2014 in politics Comments Off

Published on Al-Ahram weekly online, by Doaa El-Bey, Nov 13, 2014: On Egypt’s defence of its record at the UN Periodic Review meeting in Geneva.

While the head of the Egyptian delegation to Geneva insisted Egypt had witnessed a qualitative “leap” in the status of human rights, human rights groups have widely condemned Egypt’s record on basic freedoms over the last four years.

More than 300 recommendations, questions and comments from member states were included in the UN outcome report that followed Egypt’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) last week. Reservations were expressed over laws regulating NGOs, human rights, judicial procedures and the right to protest. Egypt’s Foreign Ministry, however, was keen to point out that amid the criticisms there were positive remarks. “From at least 100 countries,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Badr Abdel-Atti told Al-Ahram Weekly.

“A number of countries praised the unprecedented human rights and freedoms given to people in the constitution. Egypt has also taken steps to improve human rights and increase awareness of these rights and spread their values by including them in the school curricula,” Abdel-Atti said.

UNHRC meetings are a procedural review of the human rights record of member states conducted every four years.

“The recommendations of member countries will be studied and we will decide which can be implemented straightaway and which will take a longer period of time to enact. Some recommendations, like abolishing capital punishment, contradict Islamic Sharia, the base on which all laws are issued” and are therefore likely to be rejected, Abdel-Atti explained.

Egypt is expected to respond to all recommendations when the general assembly of the UNHRC convenes in March 2015.
Many Egyptian human rights organisations have expressed deep concern at what they say is a noticeable deterioration in human rights over the last 4 years.

Leading human rights lawyer Amir Salem says the UNHRC recommendations are justified, and cover a wide range of issues including women’s status and rights, sexual harassment, NGOs and the absence of reliable mechanisms to implement justice.

“It is the first time a country receives so many recommendations. It is clear Egypt needs to develop its own mechanisms to safeguard human rights and freedoms,” he said.

While Baheieddin Hassan, the head of Cairo Institute for Human Rights, agrees that the UNHRC recommendations are significant, he is even more concerned by the extent of worry expressed by various countries during both the UPR meeting and the meetings that preceded it.

“It is a symptom of the genuine and great deterioration in Egyptian human rights. It is not only the US and European countries that are worried about the future of Egypt, but states close to Egypt like Saudi Arabia and UAE. Their concern is sparked not only by the deterioration in human rights but also out of worry for their interests in the country,” he said.

What these countries and other countries — most notably from Latin American — cannot understand is why the regime is entering into conflict with so many parties, says Hassan. “Why is it in a stand-off with the media and with secularists for instance?” he asks … //

… The Universal Periodic Review is held at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva. Egypt’s delegation was headed by Al-Heneidi and included Badr and Maha Abdel-Latif as representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hani Mehanna and Abu Bakr Al-Guindi representing the Ministry of Social Solidarity and Interior, and Tellawi from the National Council for Women. It also included Khallaf, Medhat Bassiouni, deputy justice minister for human rights and Ashraf Ashmawi, Al-Heneidi’s advisor for human rights.

The government submitted its own report on human rights in Egypt in July.

Egypt’s first review was held in 2010 when it received 165 recommendations. It adopted 119, is still working to adopt 25 and rejected 21.

(full text).

Links:

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Crisis and Class-Struggle in Slovenia - The Growing Momentum of Socialist Politics, on The Bullet, Socialist Project’s Bulletin no 1055, by Jaša Lategano, Nov 14, 2014; (See also:

Egypt: New directions, on Al-Ahram weekly online, by Reem Leila, Nov 13, 2014: President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi’s meeting with the Cypriot president and Greek prime minister is part of the ongoing realignment of Egypt’s foreign policy …;

Egypt: More illusions, on Al-Ahram weekly online, by Amany Maged, Nov 13, 2014: on the recent call by the Salafi Front for an Islamic revolution;

Interview with Henry Kissinger: Do We Achieve World Order Through Chaos or Insight? on Spiegel Online International, Interview Conducted By Juliane von Mittelstaedt and Erich Follath, Nov 13, 2014 (Photo Gallery): Henry Kissinger is the most famous and most divisive secretary of state the US has ever had. In an interview, he discusses his new book exploring the crises of our time, from Syria to Ukraine, and the limits of American power. He says he acted in accordance with his convictions in Vietnam;

EYGPT: Mahienour al-Masry: Icon of a Revolution, on nternational Viewpoint.org, by Noha Radwan, Nov 12, 2014;

More than 1/3 of MN families living with less than basic needs budget, on Northlands News Center, Nov 12, 2014; l

Switzerland – Money & Politics: Four Million 5 Rappen Coins Purchased for Exhibition about Money, on CoinWeek, by Charles Morgan, Nov 10, 2014;

HOPE Lab: Colleges lack systems to assist low-income students with housing, food, on The Cap Times, by Pat Schneider, Nov 10, 2014;

Halal income: The basic principle for Ahi order, on World Bulletin.net, Nov 10, 2014;

Working hard, and using the food bank, on The Star, by Madhavi Acharya-Tom Yew, Nov 9, 2014: Economists worried use is high among those earning minimum wage;

Retirement review: Couple have worked with planner for years, but before they retire, they want a second opinion just to be sure, on Winnipeg Free Press, by Joel Schlesinger, Nov 8, 2014;

Raréfaction de l’emploi, redistribution et décroissance de l’État, dans Contrepoints, Nov 7, 2014;

Le revenu universel, rémunération du bien commun, Nov 7;

Karen Lewis and the Long Arm of Lesser Evilism, on New Politics, by Scott Jay, Oct 8, 2014;

on Voltairenet.org:

Nov 10, 2014, by Thierry Meyssan:

Nov 8, 2014:

Nov 6, 2014, by F. William Engdahl:

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