The Committee for Justice (CFJ) emphasizes that the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, candidacy, and voting in elections are fundamental rights. Therefore, it is imperative to monitor and ensure that citizens can exercise these rights. Additionally, CFJ will document any violations of the rights of voters and candidates before, during, and after the electoral process, while also monitoring the human rights situation.
This announcement marks the official launch of CFJ’s project “Right to Free Elections” to monitor the 2024 presidential elections in Egypt. The primary objective of this project is to oversee and ensure that the Egyptian state upholds the rights and freedoms of voters and candidates. The project also aims to guarantee that the presidential elections are conducted in compliance with national and international laws and in alignment with democratic election standards.
CFJ will provide regular information updates through weekly reports, followed by a comprehensive final report after the conclusion of the electoral process and the announcement of results. These reports will offer detailed and well-documented information about the number and types of violations, thereby safeguarding the right to information and advancing human rights in Egypt and the region.
The work of CFJ will be structured into three phases for monitoring and documenting violations. The first phase will focus on documenting violations before the elections, including monitoring and documenting violations related to the non-application or unfair and inconsistent application of electoral laws. CFJ will also monitor violations linked to the performance of institutions responsible for managing the electoral process, registering candidates and voters, dispute resolution methods, and violations against citizens expressing their opinions about the elections.
The second phase will concentrate on documenting violations that occur on the day of the elections. This will include monitoring violations related to election day procedures at polling stations, observing violations related to individuals while voting and inside polling stations, the vote counting process, and result monitoring.
The third and final phase will center on documenting violations that take place after the elections. This phase will particularly emphasize violations related to the complaints and appeals process submitted by voters and candidates to official authorities and the transparency of the resolution of those complaints.
The Committee for Justice will monitor and document violations through victims, their families, eyewitnesses, official documents, official statements, media sources, activists, human rights defenders, social media, photographs, and videos.
Subsequently, CFJ will provide a neutral and professional analysis of this information and draw conclusions about the nature and patterns of violations before, during, and after the electoral process. Based on the analysis of this documented and credible information, CFJ will endeavor to address these violations through international human rights advocacy campaigns, provide credible information to activists, human rights defenders, lawyers, the international community, and civil society organizations, and produce statistical and analytical reports.
