Seventeen UN human rights experts criticized Egypt on Friday for its use
of anti-terrorism laws to detain activists fighting for women’s rights
and against graft, torture and extra-judicial killings.
The experts’
joint statement, unusual for attracting such a large number of
signatories, named activists who had been detained for months,
highlighting the case of women’s rights campaigner Amal Fathy.
Her verdict will be announced on Saturday, on charges of “incitement to
overthrow the regime, terrorism, and publishing fake news in relation to
her efforts to promote women’s rights,” the UN statement said.
“We are gravely concerned at the human rights defenders’ prolonged
periods of detention, reportedly arising from their peaceful and
legitimate defense of human rights,” they said.
The 17 independent experts all investigate rights for the UN Human
Rights Council, which wrapped up a three-week session on Friday without
any scrutiny of Egypt.
“The systematic targeting of human rights defenders is yet another
indication that the Egyptian Government is operating a zero-tolerance
approach to dissent, which is often suppressed under the pretext of
countering terrorism,” they said.
Egyptian officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on their statement.
Earlier this month Amnesty International, a human rights charity, said
Egypt had become an “open-air prison” under President Abdel Fattah
El-Sisi.
El-Sisi’s supporters maintain the president has been trying to combat an
insurgency and restore order to the country following years of chaos
after Arab Spring demonstrations ousted President Hosni Mubarak in 2011.
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