Egypt rejects France’s interference in its internal affairs

Spokesman of the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ahmad Hafez, on Wednesday rejected what he described as France’s interference in Egypt’s internal affairs, Al-Youm Al-Sabea newspaper reported.

Th official said his country “categorically rejects a statement released by the French Foreign Ministry on the arrest of the administrative manager of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights group [EIPR] which entails interference in an Egyptian internal affair and is an attempt to influence investigations conducted by the Public Prosecution with an Egyptian citizen, facing a charge related to a case considered before the Egyptian judiciary.”

The Egyptian security forces arrested EIPR administrative manager Mohamed Bashir on charges of joining a terrorist group, spreading false information and funding terrorism.

The arrest came after senior diplomats visited EIPR for a briefing on the human rights situation on 3 November.

In his statement, the Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman said his country refrains from interfering in or commenting on measures taken by law enforcement authorities in other countries, including France, and expressed regret that the French statement did not respect “Egyptian laws” and defended an entity illegally operating in the field of civil work.

Under coup leader, now President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, Egypt has increase operations to detain those who oppose his rule or highlight flaws in his administration, rights activists and journalists have been rounded up on trumped-up charges of “incitement” and “joining a terrorist group”.

READ: Leading Egyptian rights group says two members arrested