Press Release
26 September 2006

Nine UN Reports Highlight Rights Abuses in Egypt in 2005

EIPR Issues Digest of HRC Session’s Reports

Human rights violations committed by the Egyptian Government throughout 2005 were highlighted in nine reports discussed by the United Nations Human Rights Council during its second session, held in Geneva currently until 6 October.

The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) today published a 20-page digest of Egypt-related cases in the annual reports presented to the Council by UN independent investigators on torture, arbitrary detention, forced disappearances, extrajudicial executions, counterterrorism, freedom of opinion and expression, freedom of religion and belief, violence against women and the rights of human rights defenders.

“Reviewing UN reporting on Egypt this year sheds light on some of the worst rights abuses committed by the government last year, most of which went completely unpunished: from the Black Wednesday sexual assaults on demonstrators to the killing of Sudanese migrants, and from the torture of Sarando villagers to the crackdown on political dissent,” said EIPR Director Hossam Bahgat. “The UN Human Rights Council’s reports point to the most pressing rights issue in Egypt today, namely the impunity enjoyed by security officers who routinely violate fundamental rights.”  

The reports also criticize the government for its failure to cooperate with UN rights experts by rejecting their numerous and repeated requests for permission to visit the country and present recommendations on how to address human rights abuses. The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, for instance, has been waiting for such permission for 10 years now.

The Human Rights Council is the highest intergovernmental right body in the world, with 47 member states elected according to geographical quotas. The Council was established last December to replace the Commission on Human Rights, and held its first session last June.

An EIPR representative is participating in part of the Council’s current session in Geneva. A report of the session’s main outcomes will be issued shortly after the conclusion of its work.

The EIPR’s digest of Egypt-related cases as they appeared in the reports of the Council’s second session is available in Arabic on the EIPR’s website.