Advocacy / Egypt
Call on Egyptian president to overturn the sentencing of researcher and activist Ahmed Samir Santawy following unfair trial
More than 60 human rights organisations signed a letter to urge Egyptian president Abdel Fattah Al Sisi to repeal the verdict against Ahmed Amir Santawy. The Egyptian-Austrian student and researcher was sentenced by an emergency court to four years in prison on charges of publishing “false news”. He had been criticising human rights violations and the government’s mishandling of the pandemic on social media.
Joint letter calls on Egypt to urgently address serious human rights concerns raised by several UN rights bodies
On June 1, 2021, 63 NGOs called on the Egyptian government to urgently address the serious human rights concerns raised by several UN bodies, including the UN Human Rights Council and several Special Procedure mandate holders. The Egyptian authorities have been critised for their crackdown on independent organisations and peaceful dissent through repressive measures such as arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance and torture for years and have yet to take the necessary steps to bring their actions in line with their international human rights obligations.
Coalition of NGOs urges the US government to not waive conditions for Egypt aid
In a joint letter to US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, and the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, Jake Sullivan, a coalition of international rights organisations has called on the US government to maintain human rights standards as conditions for providing military aid to Egypt.
Joint letter to UN Special Procedures mandate holders calls for the immediate release of Egyptian lawyer Hoda Abdel Moneim
Detained lawyer and human rights defender Hoda Abdel Moneim's health has severely deteriorated in prison. MENA Rights Group and six other organisations have called on the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders and the UN Special Rapporteur on Counter-Terrorism and Human Rights to urge the Egyptian authorities to immediately release her, in order to prevent an irreparable damage to her health, and potentially to her life, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
States break silence to condemn Egypt’s abuses at UN rights body
NGOs from around the world, including MENA Rights Group, expressed their strong support today for a joint declaration by UN member states condemning the human rights situation in Egypt which was delivered at the UN Human Rights Council. In the declaration governments expressed “deep concern” for widespread human rights violations committed with impunity by the Egyptian authorities.
Coalition of NGOs calls on Egypt to end hostage-like arrests of families of activists, critics and human rights defenders
MENA Rights Group joined a coalition of 22 international and Egyptian NGOs in a joint-letter calling on the Egyptian authorities to end the hostage-like arrest of family members of Egyptian dissidents and activists.
Coalition of civil society organisations calls on governments to take urgent action on Egypt's human rights abuses
MENA Rights Group joins over 100 civil society organisations in urging governments to take action on Egypt's human rights crisis by establishing and supporting a monitoring and reporting mechanism at the upcoming 46th regular session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Coalition of NGOs urges US and EU ambassadors to call on the Egyptian authorities to remove prisoners of conscience, Ramy Shaath and Ziad el Eleimy, from Egypt's terrorist entities list
On February 9, 2021, MENA Rights Group and a coalition of human rights organisations and lawyers submitted a letter to the embassies of the United States, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, and the United Kingdom, condemnings Egypt’s application of the “terrorist entities list” designation as a means to stifle freedom of speech. The letter is issued on the eve of an appeal hearing for political activist Ramy Shaath and former parliamentarian Ziad el Eleimy, who were added to the list last April.
Egypt: Detainee Abeer Najed must be released immediately
We, the undersigned organizations, express our most profound concern over the severe deterioration of the health of Abeer Najed, a 47-year-old woman who has been detained since September 2018. During a visit by her family on Wednesday, January 13, 2021, in Al-Qanater women's prison, her relatives noted that her face seemed to show swelling and that she was unable to walk without assistance.
After one-year of unwarranted arrest and solitary confinement, Ramy Kamel must be freed
As November 23, 2020 marked one year of solitary confinement for Ramy Kamel, a Coptic Egyptian human rights defender, 15 organizations urge American and European leaders to pressure Egyptian authorities to immediately release Ramy, lift all charges against him, and conduct effective investigations on allegations of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment against him.