Egypt - Latest Press Releases

Egypt: Draft law on associations risks bringing the country back to the freedoms of the Mubarak era

EGY - News | 18 July 2014

On 26 June 2014, the Egyptian Ministry of Solidarity put forward a draft law regulating associations that would give the government and security agencies veto power over all activities of associations in Egypt. Concerned about this draft law that bears many resemblances with the law that was in force under Mubarak and violates both the Egyptian constitution and international law, Alkarama wrote to the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association to intervene with the Egyptian authorities so that they refrain from adopting it.

Egypt: Enforced disappearance of Ramadan Omar – when will this practice disappear?

EGY - News | 09 July 2014

On June 28, Egyptian police forces have arrested an Egyptian student, Ramadan Omar, as he was visiting a relative detained in Abu Zaabel's prison in Cairo. The 20-year old student is one of the several victims, often anonymous, of enforced disappearance, a practice which seems to be reappearing in a systematic manner in the country.

Egypt: Enforced disappearance of Fouad Kandil - another step back for human rights?

EGY - News | 07 July 2014

On Friday 3 July, exactly one year after the coup, Alkarama has submitted an urgent appeal to the United Nations Working Group on Enforced Disappearances to call on the Egyptian authorities to release immediately Fouad Kandil, General Secretary for the Western region of the Freedom and Justice Party, held incommunicado since the 15th of June.

Egypt: Ominous disappearance of Basem Elkhoribi since 4 March 2014

EGY - News | 13 May 2014

Egy BasemMohsenAlkohribiOn 4 March 2014, Basem Mohsen Hassan Elkhoribi was abducted on Port Said Street of Mansoura by security forces along with his friend Eng Ayman Farag. The authorities keep on denying his detention despite several steps taken by his family to find him.

Alkarama has sent an urgent appeal to the United Nations Working Group on Enforced Disappearance asking for his immediate release.

Egypt: Khaled Hamza and four other civilians arbitrarily sentenced by an Egyptian military court

EGY - News | 08 May 2014

Egy KhaledHamza On 7 May 2014, five Muslim Brotherhood supporters have been sentenced, under fabricated charges, to one year of prison by the Military Supreme Court of Qena. Mr Khaled Hamza, Mr Adel Qatamish, Mr Ali Thabit, Mr Zain Mahmoud and Mr Tariq Ahmed were active members of the Muslim Brotherhood, whose political wing, the Freedom and Justice Party was democratically elected, and whose members are being severely repressed by the military power since the coup of 3 July 2013. More than 1200 Muslim Brotherhood supporters have been sentenced to death penalty after farce mass trials.

Egypt - HR Instruments

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)

ICCPR: Ratified on 14.01.1982
Optional Protocol: No

State report: Overdue since 01.11.2004 (4th)
Last concluding observations: 28.11.2002

Convention against Torture (CAT)

CAT: Accessed on 25.06.1986
Optional Protocol: No
Art. 20 (Confidential inquiry): Yes
Art. 22 (Individual communications): No

State report: Due on 25.06.2016 (initially due in 2004)
Last concluding observations: 23.12.2002

International Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance (CED)

No

Universal Periodic Review (UPR)

Last review: 02.2010 (1st cycle)
Next review: 2014 (2nd cycle)

National Human Rights Institution (NHRI)

National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) – Status A

Last review: 10.2006
Next review: Deferred