- Reports
- June 19, 2007
- 23 minutes read
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