• Reports
  • June 19, 2007
  • 23 minutes read

THE ROLE OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

THE ROLE OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

In January, the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child considered Egypt’s


second periodic report on the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of


the Child. It welcomed improvements to infant and child mortality rates, but noted


that “narrow interpretations of Islamic texts by authorities, particularly in areas


relating to family law, are impeding the enjoyment of some human rights under the


Convention.”The committee criticized continued violations of children’s rights to


healthcare and education, conditions for juvenile detainees, inadequate safeguards


against physical or sexual abuse of children, and economic exploitation. Among


other things, the committee recommended implementation of the 1996 Children’s


Code and the systematic involvement of “civil society, especially children’s associations


and advocacy groups, throughout all stages of the implementation of the


Convention, including policy-making.”


In January also, the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination


against Women considered Egypt’s third, fourth, and fifth reports on its application


of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against


Women. The committee welcomed the reduction in female illiteracy rates and legislative


reforms aimed at eliminating discrimination against women, particularly


relating to divorce rights. However, it criticized other discriminatory laws, including


the Nationality Law which bars Egyptian women married to non-Egyptians


from passing on their nationality to their children, and certain provisions of the


penal code. The committee recommended legislative reforms in these areas, and


greater efforts by the authorities to prevent violence against women, including


domestic violence, marital rape, abuses against detained women, and female genital


mutilation.


In August, the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination


considered Egypt’s most recent reports on its implementation of the Convention


on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. The committee noted


420 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH WORLD REPORT 2002


the “significant role” of the Supreme Constitutional Court in “upholding human


rights and constitutional guarantees . . . as well as the prevention and elimination


of discrimination”but criticized the absence of legal provisions establishing that an


ethnic or racial motivation for defamation or acts of violence be considered an


aggravating factor. The committee also expressed concern about the discriminatory


provisions of the Nationality Law, noting the government’s promise to revise


it, and recommended speedy resolution of the “difficulties relating to the registration


of some non-governmental organizations dealing with the promotion and


protection of human rights,” particularly those working to combat racial discrimination.


The U.N. special rapporteur on torture, in his report to the Commission on


Human Rights published on January 25, concluded that “torture is systematically


practised by the security forces in Egypt, in particular by State Security Intelligence,”


and that despite government denials, the practice is “habitual, widespread


and deliberate in at least a considerable part of the country.”The special rapporteur


cited thirty-five cases of torture and thirty-two cases of death in custody reportedly


caused by torture or medical negligence that were transmitted to the government


between 1997 and 1999, to which the government replied in March and October


2000. He expressed particular concern at “the persistence of the explanation of


death in many of the cases as being ‘a sharp drop in blood pressure,’”and stated that


the government’s responses reinforced rather than alleviated his concerns. The


special rapporteur also criticized the government’s continuing failure to permit


him access to the country.


On May 25, the U.N. special representative on human rights defenders and the


special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers issued a joint statement


of concern about the conviction of Saadeddin Ibrahim and his co-defendants


following unfair trial procedures. They commented that “the conviction of these


members of civil society for their human rights activities will have a chilling effect


on the activities of other human rights defenders in Egypt,” and called for the


release of the defendants pending their appeal hearing.


European Union


On December 13, 2000, the European Commission (E.C.) issued a statement


concerning the charges levelled against Saadeddin Ibrahim and some of his codefendants


that they had misused E.C. funding of two projects administered by the


Ibn Khaldun Center and the Hoda Association.The projects, for which the E.C. had


provided a total of 315,000 euro, involved the promotion of voter education and the


exercise of political rights. The E.C. stated that “both the Ibn Khaldun and HODA


projects were the subject of external mid-term audits whose reports gave no cause


for concern, financial or otherwise.” On May 23, a spokesman for External Affairs


Commissioner Chris Patten expressed concern about the sentences passed on the


defendants in the case, and said that while E.U. aid to Egypt had not been suspended,


it was “encountering certain difficulties in its implementation.” On June


14, the European Parliament passed a resolution expressing concern about the verdict


and calling for Ibrahim “to be assured a fair trial,” expressing its support for the


Egypt 421


Ibn Khaldun Center and calling on the E.C. “to continue to support its initiatives.”


With reference to the case of Ibrahim and that of Nawal al-Sa’dawi, the resolution


called on the E.C. “to strengthen its MEDA programme for democracy, in cooperation


with the Egyptian authorities, in particular with a view to supporting freedom


of expression and the independence of the media.”


The Association Agreement between Egypt and the E.U.,which had been under


negotiation for over five years, was initialled by the two sides on January 26 and


signed on June 25. The agreement, which enters into force after ratification by the


parliaments of Egypt and of E.U. member states, covers economic, political, security,


and social relations between the two sides. Following the signing of the agreement,


Commissioner Patten stated that the “partnership is firmly based on shared


political and economic interests as well as a joint commitment for the promotion


of democracy and the respect of human rights.” He added that the human rights


provisions in the agreement would provide a framework within which human


rights issues would be raised with the Egyptian authorities.


United States


The U.S. maintained the previous year’s levels of foreign aid to Egypt, with the


Bush administration requesting for fiscal year 2002 an estimated U.S. $1.3 billion


for military assistance and U.S. $655 million for economic support funds. The


administration said military assistance would “support a modern, well-trained


Egyptian military that will help ensure stability in the region”and “enable Egypt to


participate as a coalition partner in operations that further U.S. interests.” Of the


funds requested for economic assistance, an estimated 14 percent was earmarked


for “programs meant to reduce the fertility rate, improve health care, support


democratic institutions and increase access to schooling for girls.”


Following the conviction and sentencing of Saadeddin Ibrahim and his codefendants,


a State Department spokesman said in a press briefing on May 21 that


“we are deeply troubled about the outcome, and . . . we have been expressing all


along our concerns about the process that resulted in this sentence.”U.S. embassy


staff in Cairo had observed the trial and visited Ibrahim, who held dual Egyptian-


U.S. citizenship, in Mazra’at Tora prison where he was taken after sentencing.


In its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2000, the State Department


said that while the Egyptian government “generally respected the human rights of


its citizens in some areas, . . . its record was poor with respect to freedom of expression


and its treatment of detainees.” It pointed to the government’s use of emergency


laws to restrict “many basic rights,” including freedom of expression,


assembly, and association.


A delegation from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom


visited Egypt from March 20-24 as part of a wider fact-finding tour of the Middle


East. It met with government officials, religious leaders, academics, journalists, and


NGO representatives, but several Egyptian human rights groups declined to cooperate


or assist the delegates. On March 28, the commission urged President George


W. Bush to raise the issue of religious freedoms with President Mubarak during the


latter’s U.S. visit in April. The commission’s detailed findings, released on May 14


422 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH WORLD REPORT 2002


as an addendum to its annual report, concluded that “serious problems of discrimination


against a number of religious groups remain widespread in Egypt,” including


Coptic Christians, Baha’is, and Muslims deemed by the authorities to be


“fundamentalists.


President Mubarak visited Washington, D.C. in the first week of April and held


talks with President Bush, political leaders, and representatives of the business


community. The visit focused on continuing efforts to salvage Israeli-Palestinian


peace negotiations and on economic ties between Egypt and the U.S., with Egypt


calling for a free trade agreement with the U.S.There was no indication that human


rights issues were discussed.


The Bush administration announced in November that an arms deal with Egypt


worth an estimated U.S. $400 million had been reached, and that economic aid to


Egypt would be accelerated to offset the adverse effects which the September 11


attacks on the U.S. were having on the Egyptian economy, notably the tourist


industry. On November 29, a legal assistance treaty between the U.S. and Egypt


came into effect, aimed at increasing cooperation in combatting transnational


crimes, including drug trafficking,money laundering, and “terrorist group financing,”


according to the State Department.


Relevant Human Rights Watch Reports:


Egypt: Underage and Unprotected: Child Labor in Egypt’s Cotton Fields, 1/01


IRAN


HUMAN RIGHTS DEVELOPMENTS


Factional conflict within Iran’s clerical leadership continued to result in severe


restrictions on freedom of expression, association, and political participation.


Deteriorating economic conditions made worse by severe natural disasters contributed


to increasing unrest and a pervasive sense of social insecurity, reflected in


clashes between demonstrators and the security forces and in harsh measures


against drug-traffickers and other criminals. President Mohammad Khatami won


another landslide victory for those associated with the cause of political reform


when he was reelected by 77 percent of voters for a second four-year term in June,


but the power struggle between conservatives and reformists remained unresolved.


Conservative clerics maintained a strong grip on power through the judiciary, the


Council of Guardians and the office of the Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah


Ali Khamenei.Promises by reformists to increase respect for basic freedoms and


the rule of law remained unrealized, and severe restrictions imposed on the independent


print media, the major visible gain of President Khatami’s first period in


office, remained in place. The judiciary, and branches of the security forces beyond