clear

Creating new perspectives since 2009

Egypt denies violating human rights laws

September 17, 2021 at 3:27 pm

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi in Baghdad, Iraq on 27 June 2021 [Murtadha Al-Sudani/Anadolu Agency]

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi yesterday denied the existence of any human rights violations in Egypt, following a recent report by the Human Right Watch condemning the government’s “continuing violations”.

“Egyptians must be assured that there is no violation of human rights in their country,” Al-Sisi said during a phone call at the local Al-Tassia TV programme.

He added that the existence of “wrong practices” in Egypt was due to the “manifestations of poverty, ignorance and our culture.”

“Noone has the right to offend others, whether through bullying or harassment, because it is a violation of human rights,” Al-Sisi said, stressing that laws were “necessary to control society.”

During the call, the president pointed out that his government was inaugurating the “largest prison complex within a few weeks.”

“A prisoner in one of those compounds will serve his sentence in a humane manner, and will be offered sustenance, healthcare and cultural reform,” Al-Sisi explained.

On Tuesday, the US State Department said it would withhold “$130 million in military aid until Egypt meets specific human rights benchmarks.” The announcement came three days after Al-SIsi revealed what the local media called “a new human rights strategy,” in which he’d laid out a plan to protect human rights for the first time since he took office in 2014.

In Egypt, there are some 60,000 political prisoners who are systematically tortured, denied medical care whilst the use of the death penalty has skyrocketed.

Egypt rights groups denounce Biden’s decision to grant Sisi military aid