Seven UN human rights experts issued a new statement expressing deep concern over the unprecedented escalation of arbitrary arrests and unlawful deportations, accompanied by human rights violations against refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants in Egypt. 

“We remain deeply concerned about the situation of refugees and asylum seekers in Egypt,” said the Special Procedure mandate-holder appointed by the UN Human Rights Council. “Practices of arbitrary arrest and deportations continue, with refugee communities being targeted in their homes, workplaces and even in refugee led service centres,” they added.

The statement was signed by the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, the Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and the four members of the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls.

The experts highlighted a sharp rise in the arrest and deportation of individuals and entire families on the grounds of lacking valid residency permits– even though many are registered with the UNHCR or possess documents proving they are awaiting residency renewal appointments. Refugees and asylum seekers report long delays in renewing their permits due to the unavailability of urgent appointments with Egyptian authorities, with some renewal dates reportedly scheduled for as late as 2029.

The UN experts also raised alarm over the risk of refoulement carried out by Egyptian authorities against migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees regardless of their legal status. Many are fleeing conflict zones and humanitarian crises in their home countries, making their deportation incompatible with Egypt’s international obligations. The experts reminded Egypt that any decision involving refoulement or deportation must be based on individual assessments of protection needs, unlike the ongoing arrest and deportation campaign in which groups of people are removed without consideration for their specific legal and humanitarian circumstances.

They further recalled that any deportation or refoulement decision must comply with Egypt’s human rights obligations, including key principles related to refugees such as the prohibition of refoulement, preserving family unity, prioritizing the best interests of the child, and ensuring non-discrimination.

The statement also noted that the current campaign intensifying since October 2025 has intensified experts’ pre-existing concerns regarding Egypt’s Asylum Law, adopted in December 2024. At the time, UN Special Procedures experts had already warned that certain provisions of the law may contradict Egypt’s international refugee obligations, outlining their concerns in a formal communication sent to the Egyptian government, which has not yet replied.

“This climate of fear exposes refugees, asylum seekers and migrants to extreme precarity… With limited access to sustainable livelihoods, many are at heightened risk of exploitation, including trafficking for sexual exploitation, particularly affecting women and girls, and forced labour and domestic servitude, while others struggle in the face of particular protection risks, including women and girls’ survivors of gender-based violence and LGBT persons,” the experts said.

The same group of Special Rapporteurs had previously sent another communication to the Egyptian government in October of last year, detailing the deterioration of protection conditions for refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants in Egypt, and documenting violations of their fundamental rights.

For an in-depth analysis of the new asylum law, see the joint paper by EIPR and the Refugees Platform in Egypt (RPE): “A Blow to Basic Refugee Protections and a Setback from the Existing Legal Framework: An In-Depth Analytical Study of the ‘Foreigners’ Asylum Law’ Submitted by the Egyptian Government.”

Also see their paper: “The Collapse of Egypt's Protection for Refugees: Systematic and Widespread Violations of the Non-Refoulement Principle and The Right to Asylum”.