A prominent global rights watchdog said on Thursday that Egypt's attempts to make progress in human rights have failed, with brutal repressions continuing in the country in 2021
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th January, 2022) A prominent global rights watchdog said on Thursday that Egypt's attempts to make progress in human rights have failed, with brutal repressions continuing in the country in 2021.
"In 2021, authorities escalated the use of the abusive Emergency State Security Courts to prosecute peaceful activists and critics who joined thousands of dissidents already in Egypt's congested prisons. Courts issued death sentences in mass trials, adding to the sharply escalating numbers of executions," Human Rights Watch said in its World Report 2022.
According to the report, Egypt introduced specific norms requiring civil society organizations to register in the country by January 11, 2021, or face dissolution. The country continued using "discriminatory morality and debauchery laws" to arrest female social media influencers for undermining family values, the watchdog said.
The Egyptian army continued to impose severe restrictions on freedom of movement in North Sinai as armed forces continued battling the Islamic State's (terrorist organization banned in Russia) affiliates in the country, the report said. The latter included demolition of thousands of homes, leaving people on the streets, and killing dozens of alleged "terrorists" in so-called "shootouts," Human Rights Watch added. Moreover, the Egyptian armed forces intimidated and harassed the families of those living abroad, with their family members disappearing in some cases.
The report further stated that dozens of people staying in Egypt have been arrested over the year for online videos and posts, for professing different faiths, for sit-ins at factories, alleged terrorism-related activities, and other charges.
The National Strategy for Human Rights, introduced by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi in September 2021, was heavily criticized for failing to bring positive change.
