Vienna — The International Press Institute (IPI) today called on Egyptian authorities to heed criticism levelled against the country's human rights record yesterday during a U.N. review.
"Egypt's government needs to ensure that the promises of free expression enshrined in the new Constitution approved early this year are actually implemented," IPI Senior Press Freedom Adviser Steven M. Ellis said.
"This includes bringing to justice those who attack journalists, and making sure that journalists are allowed to practice their profession without interference or harassment - including the threat of prosecution and imprisonment - when they report criticism or convey unwelcome viewpoints. We urge Egyptian authorities to address the concerns raised yesterday, to respect the role that journalists play in a democracy and to release all journalists who continue to languish behind bars because of their work."
The Associated Press (AP) reported that the United States and European nations blasted Egypt's human rights record during yesterday's meeting in Geneva before the U.N. Human Rights Council. The meeting was the first U.N. review of Egypt's record since a 2011 revolution toppled President Hosni Mubarak and since massive protests in July 2013 led to the military ouster of Mubarak's successor as president, Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Morsi.
The news agency quoted U.S. Ambassador Keith Harper as saying: "We are deeply concerned with steps taken by Egypt that have resulted in violations of freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly and association, deprived thousands of Egyptians of fair trial guarantees, and undermined civil society's role in the country."
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Egypt's government - now led by former General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who was elected president in May 2014 - has clamped down on media freedom amid the unrest that followed Morsi's ouster, including by closing down media outlets, banning broadcasters and imprisoning journalists.
A September 2014 report by the Committee to Protect Journalists identified 11 journalists behind bars in Egypt. That number included three Al Jazeera journalists who were given lengthy prison sentences in June on allegations that they reported "false news" that damaged national security and supported the Muslim Brotherhood, which authorities had banned shortly before the journalists' arrest in December.
Australian correspondent Peter Greste, Egyptian-Canadian producer Mohamed Fahmy and Egyptian producer Baher Mohamed were sentenced to seven years behind bars, with Baher Mohamed receiving an additional three years for possessing a spent bullet casing that he said he found on the ground during a protest. The three have appealed, and Egypt's Court of Cassation has scheduled proceedings on Jan. 1 to determine whether to order a retrial.
International observers have also recently expressed alarm over Egyptian authorities' stated intent to begin enforcing a Mubarak-era law that requires all non-governmental organisations to register with the government. The government recently reaffirmed that NGOs must register under the 2002 Law on Associations, which was not previously enforced, by Nov. 10. Those that fail to do so may face criminal charges.
