The Egyptian Parliament has approved President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s extension of a nationwide state of emergency for the fourth year in a row. The authorities have used the coronavirus outbreak as an excuse to silence critics, including health workers, journalists, and bloggers, and to keep hundreds, if not thousands, of detainees in pretrial detention without judicial review.
In May, President al-Sisi approved amendments to the emergency law that expanded the powers of the executive branch. The coronavirus outbreak exacerbated the appalling conditions of detention, and prison visits were banned from March to August, with no alternative means of communication. Dozens of prisoners have died in custody, including at least 14 apparently from coronavirus.
Ten years after the Egyptian revolution, Egyptians are now living under a stifling security grip of President Sisi’s government.
The Egyptian Ministry of Interior’s National Security Agency and other security forces forcibly and arbitrarily detained and tortured many people, including children. Several people were arrested on baseless charges of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news. Families of dissidents abroad have also been subjected to collective punishment, including house raids and arrests. In September and October, authorities arrested more than 1,000 protesters in response to small but widespread protests across the country.
The authorities continued to use the death penalty; at least 83 people were executed, including 25 convicted of alleged involvement in political violence, in mass trials that significantly violated due process.
In conflict-ridden North Sinai, the Egyptian military has demolished thousands of homes, forcibly expelled residents without fair compensation, and denied access to journalists and other independent observers.
Washington Center For Human Rights believe that the continuation of these human rights violations in Egypt is a slap in the face of The Core International Human Rights Treaties. The US should condition military aid to human rights improvements in Egypt.
We strongly believe that the next US administration should integrate respect for rights into its domestic and foreign policies in a way that is more likely to continue in future US administrations that may be less committed to human rights.