Amnesty International slams Egypt in annual report

Amnesty International has criticised the situation in Egypt, especially the Egyptian authorities’ targeting of civilians in neighbouring countries.

In its annual report 2014-2015, the international watchdog said that several civilians died during recent Egyptian army raids on the Libyan city of Derna, denying the allegations of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry that the army strikes only targeted militants affiliated with the Islamic State in Libya.

The secretary general of Amnesty International, Salil Shetty, confirmed that seven civilians were killed in the recent Egyptian bombing in Libya, and called for an immediate investigation to determine the circumstances of the bombing and whether the action amounts to a war crime.

Shetty condemned the insistence of Egyptian officials on rejecting Amnesty International’s reports, which he said were documented with testimonies by multiple witnesses as well as local sources.

The report said the situation in Egypt does not call for optimism and that it has not improved since last year.

The report noted that, “In Egypt, NGOs saw a severe crackdown, with use of the Mubarak-era Law on Associations to send a strong message that the government will not tolerate any dissent.”

The director of Amnesty’s Middle East and North Africa Programme, Philip Luther, said that the Egyptian authorities arrested thousands and put many of them in secret detention.

Luther pointed out that Amnesty International has documented cases of torture and violations of detainees’ rights, as well as dozens of human rights activists and journalists from across the political and civil spectrum.

He added that the coup government often used the pretext of war against terrorism to legitimise and justify repressing opponents.