UN Human Rights Council Report Highlights Egypt’s Ongoing Human Rights Crisis

The report addressed numerous concerning issues in Egypt, most notably: torture, the practice of re-arresting political detainees in what is known as “recycling” cases, political detention, enforced disappearances, and the lack of justice due to flawed criminal procedure laws. It also highlighted repression targeting journalists and human rights defenders, the decline in women’s rights, and ongoing violations of refugee and association rights. This was according to a statement issued on Friday by the Al-Shehab Center for Human Rights, which affirmed that the report accurately reflected the unprecedented human rights crisis in Egypt.

The Al-Shehab Center for Human Rights emphasized that these recommendations represent an important call for the international community to pressure the Egyptian government to comply with human rights standards and ensure justice and equality for all citizens. Many human rights organizations continue to monitor the implementation of these recommendations, asserting that the time has come to end the systematic violations that have long affected many Egyptians.

Civil Society Concerns and Government Denial

In another joint statement, human rights organizations pointed out that the report followed the fourth cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Egypt’s human rights record before the UN in Geneva. The report was released just a week after Egyptian civil society warned of a new wave of repression against civil society and an intensified security crackdown on fundamental rights in the country. Concerns were also raised about the Egyptian authorities’ continued disregard for accountability regarding corruption, mismanagement, and abuse of power, along with an escalating campaign to silence any criticism and suppress genuine political or economic competition.

The organizations stated that “during the review session, as expected, the Egyptian government continued its deliberate denial of all human rights violations documented in UN and international reports, instead promoting flashy initiatives such as the National Human Rights Strategy, the National Dialogue, and the Presidential Pardon Committee, while distorting reality with superficial reforms that have no real impact on the ground.”

The organizations continued: “For example, regarding the proposed new Criminal Procedure Law—which has faced widespread criticism for violating fair trial guarantees, defendants’ rights, and international obligations—the government representative claimed the law ensures justice, merely referencing provisions on wrongful imprisonment compensation, witness protection, and phone surveillance regulations. However, he failed to mention the broad powers granted to the Public Prosecution, which allow it to override these measures at will, infringe on private communications, conduct interrogations without a defense lawyer present, and restrict the right of lawyers to speak during investigations without the prosecutor’s permission. Additionally, the law provides immunity for prosecutors and judicial inspectors while enabling torture practices and ensuring impunity for those responsible.”

Similarly, the public prosecution representative in the government delegation claimed that the National Dialogue and the Presidential Pardon Committee had led to the release of a significant number of detainees. However, he failed to acknowledge the far greater number of individuals who were re-arrested on fabricated charges or recycled into new cases upon their release. Many others remain in pretrial detention for periods exceeding the legal limit.

The organizations further stated: “The government representative also boasted about the construction of new prisons as an achievement, ignoring the continued mistreatment and abuse of detainees in these facilities—abuse severe enough to drive some detainees to attempt suicide or go on hunger strikes. Despite claims of regular prison inspections and responsiveness to detainees’ complaints, the systematic disregard of investigations into enforced disappearances, torture, and unjustified solitary confinement—as documented by human rights organizations—exposes these claims as false.”

Political Participation and Press Freedom

Regarding political participation, the government delegation claimed that Egypt’s political parties law—which allows for the establishment of parties by notification—demonstrates political freedom. However, they ignored the fact that numerous political leaders and activists are imprisoned simply for engaging in political work. Additionally, the delegation praised the integrity of Egypt’s presidential elections, despite the fact that opposition candidates were jailed, and their supporters were prevented from filing candidacy papers.

While the delegation celebrated an increase in the number of newspapers, television channels, and news websites, it failed to mention the hundreds of independent media outlets blocked in Egypt for opposing the regime, or the dozens of journalists detained simply for carrying out their work.

International Recommendations

Human rights organizations had previously submitted multiple reports to the UN review mechanism during the preparation phase. These reports refuted the claims made by the Egyptian government delegation and debunked many of the falsehoods presented in Egypt’s national report to the UN. The reports documented a range of violations over the past five years and provided a general overview of Egypt’s deteriorating human rights situation. Additionally, a mid-term report was submitted at the end of 2022, halfway through the review period, containing specific recommendations for the Egyptian government to implement if it genuinely intended to improve human rights conditions.

According to the report, at least twenty countries recommended suspending the death penalty as a step toward its abolition. Around ten countries called on Egypt to join the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture and to investigate torture crimes in prisons and hold perpetrators accountable. More than fifteen countries urged Egypt to sign the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

Countries such as Belgium, Austria, and Australia recommended ensuring fair trials, while over twelve countries called for an end to prolonged pretrial detention, the practice of case recycling, and the release of arbitrarily detained individuals. Many nations also advocated for legal reforms, including revisions to terrorism laws, the penal code, media and cybercrime regulations, NGO laws, and laws related to combating discrimination against women.

Conclusion

In their joint statement, human rights organizations asserted that the human rights situation in Egypt is now worse than at any point in its modern history. They stressed that the Egyptian government has both the power and the means to respond to these recommendations and take effective measures to improve human rights conditions. However, the real obstacle remains the lack of political will.

The organizations that signed the joint statement include the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, the Ank Association, the Committee for Justice, the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms, the Egyptian Front for Human Rights, the Egyptian Human Rights Platform, EgyptWide, the Foundation for Law and Democracy Support, the Al-Nadeem Center, and the Sinai Foundation for Human Rights.