Washington Post addressed in its editorial the measures made by Egypt’s ruling regime, which the US respectful newspaper described as “dictatorial”, after declaring the so-called “National Strategy of Human Rights” that seemed in reality as a strategy to violate human rights according to the newspaper.

WP denounced the human rights situation in Egypt indicating that the declaration of the strategy last September was variously received between an optimistic minority that saw it as a positive step from the dictatorship and a skeptical majority that considered it a reputation washing attempt from Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to appease the new US administration of Joe Biden to resume its military aid to Egypt. The editorial pointed out that the recent news about continuous human rights violations including the imprisonment sentences against three notable activists, one of them is Alaa Abdel Fattah who had already spent 10 years in detention, proved the pessimist perspective right. Detainees involve senior officials of Strong Egypt Party and the most moderate leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood.

The newspaper expressed concern that the sentences are issued by an emergency court that lacks the protective procedures of fair trials. Although al-Sisi abolished the state of emergency as a compliment to Washington, the emergency courts continued the trials that had already begun, including 48 defendants were transferred for trial before the emergency courts just before the abolition of the state of emergency.

The US Department of State had recently expressed disappointment at the recent sentences and commented that the sole improvement of human rights in Egypt was less punitive treatment of persons who should not have been subjected to any danger at all. WP noted that any improvement was in fact a mere attempt to appease Washington to retake the full US military aid after the recent partial suspension decided by Biden’s administration.