July 4, 2019

On Wednesday Amnesty International published a report on the human rights situation in Egypt since the arrival of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

The Egyptian authorities are trying to normalise human rights violations by issuing a series of laws to “legitimise” the escalating crackdown on freedom of expression and association and freedom of assembly, the organisation said.

“Since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi took power, the human rights situation in Egypt has deteriorated dramatically,” said Magdalena Magrabi, deputy director of Amnesty International’s regional office for the Middle East and North Africa. 

In a series of harsh laws and repressive measures, al-Sisi’s government launched a coordinated campaign to keep his grip on power by further undermining the independence of the judiciary and imposing stifling restrictions on the media, NGOs, trade unions, political groups and independent activists.

“Under al-Sisi’s rule, under the pretext of combating terrorism, Egypt has witnessed thousands of arbitrary arrests, including hundreds of arrests of peaceful critics and protesters, as well as continued impunity for widespread human rights abuses, including torture and other ill-treatment, mass forced disappearances, extrajudicial executions and the use of excessive force.”

“Since 2014, more than 1,891 death sentences have been passed and at least 174 people have been executed, often after very unfair trials.”

Amnesty International called on all states to take concrete action and suspend the transfer of police equipment and surveillance techniques used by the Egyptian authorities to suppress peaceful dissent.