Egypt president slams international criticism of rights abuses

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi yesterday slammed recent comments by human right organisations, citing the government’s inability to provide food, health care, or job opportunities for its “increasing population.”

“I say to countries that talk about human rights… What rights? I can’t find food,” Al-Sisi said. The president has come under repeated criticism from international governments and human rights organisations for violating rights laws and detaining thousands of opposition activists.

“I call on everyone who criticises health, education, go see for yourself how people live in the slums,” he added, noting that he would demolish “thousands of residential buildings to be able to p;ace a highway and re-plan the city.”

Human Rights Watch reported Egypt had witnessed “brutal repression by the regime, with countless cases of arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances against opponents” since Al-Sisi took power in 2014.

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