{"id":770749,"date":"2014-11-04T19:13:40","date_gmt":"2014-11-04T17:13:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress-1226656-4371204.cloudwaysapps.com\/mans25\/?p=770749"},"modified":"2024-06-07T05:24:34","modified_gmt":"2024-06-07T02:24:34","slug":"after-threats-egyptian-human-rights-organization-decide-not-to-participate-in-upr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecesr.org\/en\/after-threats-egyptian-human-rights-organization-decide-not-to-participate-in-upr\/","title":{"rendered":"After Threats, Egyptian Human Rights Organization Decide Not to Participate in UPR"},"content":{"rendered":"

As a result of a d<\/span>irect t<\/span>hreat to their w<\/span>ork:\u00a0<\/span>Egyptian human rights organizations have decided not to participa<\/span>te in Egypt\u2019s UPR before the UN<\/span><\/h3>\n

The review of Egypt\u2019s human rights record over the past four years will <\/span>begin this week as part of the <\/span>Human Rights Council\u2019s <\/span>Unive<\/span>rsal Periodic Review in Geneva.<\/span><\/p>\n

T<\/span>he undersigned human rights organizations have decided not to participate in any of the UPR\u2019s proceedings in fear that their participation might result in repri<\/span>sal or<\/span> possible<\/span> persecution. This<\/span> fear is especial<\/span>ly pertinent in the context of the<\/span> hostile <\/span>climate in which they work<\/span>. Several organizations have cancelled their side-events and conferences <\/span>at the UPR session.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The UPR comes 5 days before the expiration of <\/span>the government\u2019s ultimatum for \u201c<\/span>non-registered entities\u201d to register under the repressive Law 84\/2002 by November 10.<\/span> A number of organizations have attempted to open <\/span>dialogue<\/span>with the government and meet with the <\/span>p<\/span>rime minister<\/span><\/a> to discuss withdrawing the <\/span>ultimatum<\/span> and delaying it<\/span> until a new law is<\/span> put in place that concords with the constitution and Egypt\u2019s international obligations. In this<\/span>case, <\/span>organizations<\/span> could<\/span> register under the new<\/span> democratic<\/span> law, or they would be allowed to continue <\/span>to<\/span> work with the understanding that there would be reforms in the laws that govern their work. <\/span>The government met civil society\u2019s attempts at dialogue<\/span>, however,<\/span> <\/span>with cold indifference<\/span>. <\/span>In fact,<\/span>on 26 October, <\/span>the government published another <\/span>announcement<\/span> in <\/span>al-<\/span>Ahram<\/span> newspaper <\/span>affirming that a delay or an extension of the ultimatum was not a matter up for negotiation. Law 84\/2002 on associations, which the government is seeking to<\/span> forcibly<\/span> impos<\/span>e on human rights <\/span>organizations,<\/span><\/span>circumvent<\/span>s<\/span> Article 75 of the 2014 c<\/span>onstitution. <\/span>By <\/span>imposing it<\/span>,<\/span> the Egyptian<\/span>state <\/span>has failed to meet its obligations, which it accepted in Egypt\u2019s UPR in 2010, to reform the law <\/span>to<\/span> give more freedom to civil society.<\/span><\/p>\n

T<\/span>he undersigned organizations have decided<\/span>, therefore,<\/span> to support the\u00a0<\/span>recommendations<\/span><\/a> submitted by <\/span>the Forum of Egyptian I<\/span>ndependent <\/span>Human Rights Organizations <\/span>to the UPR<\/span>. The undersigned organizations <\/span>deeply regret their withdrawal from the UPR process<\/span>, especially so because<\/span> they see it as a<\/span> unique <\/span>opportunity to open<\/span> a constructive<\/span> <\/span>dialogue<\/span>, with the\u00a0<\/span>participation<\/span> of the UN, with the Egyptian government on a number of issues to improve the state of human rights in Egypt and to help it build strategies to improve human rights in the next four years. <\/span>We deeply regret that the<\/span>Egyptia<\/span>n <\/span>government<\/span>, however, sees this<\/span> process<\/span> as an attempt <\/span>t<\/span>o undermine its reputation.<\/span><\/p>\n

The undersigned organi<\/span>zations see a stark difference between<\/span> the<\/span>government\u2019s<\/span> preparations for the UPR this year <\/span>and the<\/span> <\/span>government\u2019s<\/span><\/span>preparations<\/span> for the URP in\u00a0<\/span>2010. T<\/span>he<\/span> committee t<\/span>asked with writing the<\/span>government <\/span>report for the UPR<\/span> in 2010<\/span> reached out to human rights organisations, including some of the undersigned organisations, seeking consult<\/span>ations about its report and <\/span>asking for <\/span>advise about the<\/span>recommendations it should accept. The committee tasked with writing the government\u2019s report<\/span> this year did not seek<\/span> meetings with human rights organisations, <\/span>feeling it<\/span> suffi<\/span>cient<\/span> to meet once with a<\/span> few<\/span> select <\/span>rights<\/span> or<\/span>ganisations and members of the National C<\/span>ouncil for <\/span>Human Rights<\/span> <\/span>one week before the UPR session. <\/span>Contrary to its obligations, the government of Egypt <\/span>did not <\/span>attempt to contact<\/span>the undersigned organisations in the process of writing the gov<\/span>ern<\/span>ment\u2019s report.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Egypt\u2019s <\/span>

\r\n last UPR<\/span><\/a> was held in <\/span>February<\/span> 2010, during which a number of coalitions in human rights and development work at the time presented reports setting out the <\/span>priorities<\/span><\/a> that should be <\/span>incumbent on<\/span> the state<\/span> in the<\/span> following four years. <\/span>Almost a <\/span>year<\/span> ago<\/span>, in the same context<\/span> of reviewing Egypt\u2019s periodic report before the Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights<\/span>, a number of civil society organisations presented<\/span>concrete <\/span>recommendations<\/span><\/a>\r\n
\r\n last UPR<\/span><\/a> was held in <\/span>February<\/span> 2010, during which a number of coalitions in human rights and development work at the time presented reports setting out the <\/span>priorities<\/span><\/a> that should be <\/span>incumbent on<\/span> the state<\/span> in the<\/span> following four years. <\/span>Almost a <\/span>year<\/span> ago<\/span>, in the same context<\/span> of reviewing Egypt\u2019s periodic report before the Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights<\/span>, a number of civil society organisations presented<\/span>concrete <\/span>\r\n <\/div> pertaining to respect for human rights and achieving developments goals. One recommendation, for example, called on Egypt to guarantee <\/span>the provision of a more geographically equitable distribution of social services, such as health, housing, and education, in the annual budget. The organisations also called on Egypt to commit to its obligations to address the uninterrupted increase in poverty rates and to plan ways to reduce <\/span>the <\/span>poverty rate<\/span>, which at the time<\/span> stood at 26%<\/span>. Other recommendations were also made, which the <\/span>organisations<\/span> hoped would be <\/span>committed to through <\/span>the <\/span>UPR process.<\/span><\/p>\n

The undersigned Egyptian i<\/span>ndependent rights organizations view the UPR, which al<\/span>l UN member states are subject<\/span> to, as an opportunity <\/span>for governments and different civil society organisations <\/span>to engage, before all states including Egypt, in constructive dialogue<\/span>, and which lead<\/span>s<\/span> to a set of recommendations that would encourage states to respect human rights.<\/span><\/p>\n

The hum<\/span>an rights situation in Egypt can<\/span>not be separated from the goals of stability and development, which all Egyptians<\/span>, the people and their government,<\/span> <\/span>aspire <\/span>to.<\/span> Political rights str<\/span>engthen<\/span> a sense of citizenship, participation, stability, and the legitimacy of the ruling regime. Economic rights <\/span>enhance <\/span>a citizen\u2019s capacity to attain a dignified life,<\/span> and engage in <\/span>work and production, and can result in a genuine victory over terrorism, poverty, and marginalization.<\/span><\/p>\n

We, the undersigned organisations, affirm that civil society organisations have an important role to play in<\/span>preserving<\/span> the link between the government and citizens and <\/span>in <\/span>strengthening transparency, accountability, and the fight <\/span>against<\/span> corruption.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Background<\/span><\/h3>\n

on Egypt\u2019s involvement in the UPR process:<\/span><\/h4>\n

The UPR is one the unique mechanisms of the UN Human Rights Council, which in turn<\/span>s<\/span>, each member state i<\/span>s subject to, and through which<\/span> political, economic, social, <\/span>and cultural rights situations are reviewed. At the end of the review, a set of<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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recommendations are proposed, and each state is expected to apply the recommenda<\/span>tions before their next review.<\/span><\/p>\n

Facilitating<\/span> the UPR session is a committee of three states \u2013 the Troika \u2013 (the states change with each UPR session). Egypt\u2019s UPR session will be <\/span>facilitated<\/span> by Saudi Arabia, the Ivory Coast, and Montenegro. The questions posed <\/span>during the session<\/span> <\/span>are based on three main reports submitted on the situation of human rights in the state under review. The first report is the <\/span>government report<\/span>, which Egypt submitted to the Council in July 2014, the second report is that of the UN Special <\/span>Rapporteurs<\/span>, and the third is the combined reports (which the council collated) of civil society groups.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the past, <\/span>Egypt has participated and facilitated the UPR of other member states, offering recommendations on a diverse set of issues. For example, it proposed recommendations to Holland, Pakistan, and India to provide sufficient resources to allow human rights organisations to work competently, independently, and to strengthen links between authorities and human rights organisations. Egypt also offered recommendations to Armenia regarding the protection of human rights defenders, and to the Philippines and the Czech Republic on combating torture in accordance with international law. To Brazil and Mexico, Egypt presented recommendations to improve<\/span> the<\/span> conditions<\/span> of<\/span> and over-crowding in prisons. To France, Egypt recommended that appropriate steps be taken against violations by the members of the security sector, to the<\/span> US, it recommended that it respect the <\/span>International Covenant on <\/span>Civil<\/span> <\/span>and <\/span>Political Rights<\/span> in the <\/span>framework<\/span> of its battle against terror and to investigate<\/span> and pun<\/span>ish anyone who violates those rights. Bahrain, Holland, and Sweden were also offered recommendations by Egypt to develop their legal frameworks to increase respect for freedom of expression, and combat hate-speech. A program for combating poverty was Egypt\u2019s recommendation for Canada and Botswana, and to Liberia and Malawi, <\/span>Egypt\u2019s<\/span> recommendations pertained to the protection of the rights of the child and women. Egypt also made other recommendations that civil society currently proposes as important for <\/span>Egypt itself<\/span> to work towards achieving.<\/span><\/p>\n

The UPR <\/span>examine<\/span>s the human rights situation of member states every four years. The UPR assesses the commitments, obligations and recommendations, accepted, and evaluates the state\u2019s efforts in safeguarding the rights of its citizens. Egypt committed to a number of recommendations during its first UPR in 2010, yet it has made no advances regarding them. Some of the recommendations committed to<\/span> by Egypt concerned torture, women\u2019s rights, strengthening freedom of expression, freedom of as<\/span>sembly, and religious freedoms.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Signatories:<\/h4>\n