Persons of Disabilities Right to Transportation, ECESR New Lawsuit

In Their fight to help them win their basic rights, lawyers of ECESR representing Egyptian individuals with disabilities (Hazem Abuel-Magd, Mohammed Abu-Zekry), filed a lawsuit to win all Egyptian citizens with disabilities the right to free transportation.

The  lawsuit requested the negative position of the Public Transport Authorities not to give free transportation permits to individuals with disabilities to be canceled.

Mohammed Abu-Zekry, Lawyer at ECESR said that until 2010, the Public Transport Authority was committed to issuance free transport permits on their transportation lines to individuals with disabilities, however , the government privatization policies made it financially difficult for the authority to commit to the plan and had to cancel it, the Subway Authority was not of better stand, since the beginning , the Authority took no consideration of citizens with disabilities, the tickets for them were not substantially lower in price than regular prices.

Abu-Zekry said that the lawsuit aimed to enable the contesting  individuals and all people of disabilities to experience a normal life and their right to transportation, the negative decision of the Transport Authorities was generally against the “International Conventions on the Right of Persons with Disabilities” which Egypt has signed in 2008, which stated that “States Parties shall also take appropriate measures to: Develop, promulgate and monitor the implementation of minimum standards and guidelines for the accessibility of facilities and services open or provided to the public;” The decision was also  against the Egyptian constitution which obligated the State to guarantee  care for the needs of persons of disabilities.

ECESR affirms the need to speedily take all  necessary measures to enable individuals with disabilities – who form a primary part of the Egyptian society – to access their rights and opportunities,  ECESR announces its full support to  this movement and its right to defend their rights.

for more on the UN ” Convention for Persons with Disabilities “, Click Here