Human Rights in Egypt

Authorities in Egypt are actively targeting human rights defenders, opposition politicians and other activists through unlawful arrests and prosecutions. Thousands of people have been arbitrarily detained and enforced disappearances and torture continue. Alaa Abdel Fattah, an icon of the 2011 Egyptian revolution, is now a British citizen (via his mother’s nationality) and has spent most of the last decade behind bars in Egypt, persecuted for his writing and activism. In July, his supporters saw a moment of opportunity when the Egyptian foreign minister visited London to meet his counterpart. But, as the two ministers inaugurated the UK-Egypt Association Council, a small reference to human rights was buried in the penultimate paragraph of their joint statement, underneath details of the Cairo monorail project and the sale of two naval auxiliary ships. It simply said they discussed a wide range of bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest, including on consular issues and human rights. Since the visit, conditions have improved for Alaa – he has been given a mattress and books, but he is still on the hunger strike he began on 2 April and is ‘fragile’. For more information on Abdel Fattah, see https://bit.ly/3bqRHw6