ICJ joins in call for attention to deteriorating human rights situation in Egypt

Oct 22, 2014

The ICJ today joined a call with six other international NGOs for members and observers of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) to pay special attention to the deteriorating human rights situation in Egypt ahead of and following the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Egypt.

The HRC Working Group on the UPR will, on 5 November 2014, be undertaking a review of the human rights situation in Egypt. This comes at a critical time for human rights, freedoms and independent Egyptian civil society, including rights defenders and democracy activists. Noting that the Government of Egypt has reaffirmed a deadline for 10 November 2014 for all civil society organisations to register with the Government under the highly repressive Law on Associations, the ICJ and others called on members and observers of the HRC to, at a minimum, address several key issues, including:

• Threats against human rights defenders and civil society organisations and activists;
• The need for new legislation to guarantee freedom of assembly through a transparent and simple notification process;
• The need for judicial investigations into the ordering and carrying out of unlawful killings in the course of suppressing mainly peaceful protests;
• Respect for and non-interference with the independence of the judiciary;
• The need for immediate and unconditional release of persons detained solely for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression, assembly and association; and
• The need to immediate end the use of torture and other ill-treatment.

Egypt-UPR-OpenLetter-2014-EN (download open letter in PDF)