The “Committee for Justice” (CFJ) organized an important event in collaboration with several Egyptian non-governmental organizations on the sidelines of Egypt’s Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. The event took place on Monday, January 28, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, at the same time as the official review at 11:00 AM. It focused on the ongoing human rights crisis in Egypt and presented recommendations to address it.
– Mefreh: How Egypt’s Human Rights Commitments Translate into Reality
At the beginning of the event, the Executive Director of CFJ,” Ahmed Mefreh, welcomed the participants and attendees. He explained that the organization was holding this event in cooperation with several independent Egyptian human rights organizations to discuss the report submitted by Egyptian authorities to the Universal Periodic Review Committee at the Human Rights Council, as well as the overall human rights situation in Egypt ahead of the review.
In his opening remarks, Mefreh emphasized that “today’s discussion sheds light on the reality of human rights in Egypt, specifically in light of the report submitted by the Egyptian authorities. It also comes at a particularly sensitive time when both domestic and international focus on human rights in Egypt is increasing, and scrutiny of the government’s adherence to national, regional, and international commitments is intensifying.”
Mefreh noted that the Egyptian authorities, in their report, claimed they were working on strengthening institutional and legislative frameworks, respecting civil and political rights, improving detainee conditions, and supporting civil society. However, he raised the key question: “Are these commitments being implemented on the ground?” This, he stated, would be the subject of discussion during the event.
He added that the event would address several pressing issues that highlight the real challenges, including the case of political detainee Alaa Abdel Fattah as an example of prison conditions, the suppression of political activity as seen in the case of Ahmed Tantawy, and the continued restrictions on civil society, particularly the case of human rights defender Hoda Abd El-Moneim. “Our goal today is not only to assess the credibility of the Egyptian authorities’ report but also to evaluate concrete solutions and proposals to ensure respect for fundamental rights, justice, and transparency,” he said.
– Azer: Torture is Systematic in Egypt
Sharif Azer, Director of Programs at the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms, stated, “Unfortunately, after 14 years, we are still facing the same situation, and we continue to suffer from systematic torture practices in detention facilities and various holding centers across Egypt, carried out by multiple security agencies. Systematic torture in Egypt takes different forms, and we have documented more than 600 cases of sexual violence between 2015 and 2022.”
Azer pointed out that the 2014 Egyptian Constitution explicitly prohibits torture. However, he noted that when examining Egypt’s legal framework, the definition of torture in the Penal Code does not meet international standards, and multiple legal loopholes allow perpetrators to escape accountability, either by receiving reduced sentences or avoiding justice altogether.
He also addressed the issue of newly built detention centers, which the authorities call “rehabilitation centers” instead of prisons, claiming that these facilities align with international standards. However, monitoring efforts reveal that they do not meet required standards and suffer from multiple violations, including hunger strikes by detainees. These facilities also exhibit severe medical neglect, with over 137 deaths recorded between 2022 and 2024.
– Soueif: “Every Day, We Discover Worse Conditions Inside Egyptian Prisons”
Academic and human rights activist Dr. Laila Soueif, the mother of detained activist Alaa Abdel Fattah, began her remarks by expressing solidarity with Jihad Khaled, daughter of detained human rights defender Huda Abdel Moneim, acknowledging the suffering she and her family endure.
Speaking about her son Alaa, Soueif stated, “The current and ongoing violation is his continued imprisonment despite having completed his sentence. Alaa has been subjected to numerous abuses, starting from his arrest while under police surveillance, to physical assaults in prison, and his transfer to Wadi El-Natrun prison, where he faced even more relentless violations. Visits there are miserable, conducted from behind a glass barrier.”
Soueif stressed that despite the severe violations Alaa endures, “every day, we discover even worse conditions inside Egypt’s prisons.” She cited the case of Dr. Essam Heggy, a professor of engineering at Cairo University and a member of the March 9 Movement, who was acquitted by Egypt’s Court of Cassation in 2018 but remains imprisoned.
She further stated that although Alaa’s sentence officially ended on September 24, 2024, authorities claim that his term only began upon the ratification of the verdict, meaning it will not end until January 3, 2027. “This is why I began a hunger strike—until Alaa is released or I collapse. I am committed to this strike because, since 2013, we have been trapped in an endless cycle of prisons and courts, which has completely disrupted our lives,” she asserted.
Soueif added that she was trying to pressure the British government—since her family holds dual citizenship—leveraging its influence over Egyptian authorities in an attempt to secure Alaa’s release. However, she acknowledged that “with the situation in Gaza, no government in the world can claim to fully support human rights. Our hope lies in human rights organizations and in generating public pressure on oppressive governments.”
– Attallah: “Superficial Reforms to Improve the Egyptian Regime’s Image”
Ahmed Attallah, a representative of the Egyptian Front for Human Rights, remarked that “in September 2021, the Egyptian government launched the National Human Rights Strategy to promote human rights in the country. The Higher Committee for Human Rights, established in 2018, was tasked with drafting, monitoring, and evaluating this strategy. However, in reality, its role is limited to responding to human rights allegations, preparing Egypt’s submission for the Universal Periodic Review, and issuing an annual report on national efforts to promote human rights.”
Regarding the right to a fair trial, Attallah stated, “Despite government claims that proposed amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code aim to enhance justice, these changes actually undermine fundamental rights, including the right to defense and public trials.”
Attallah further noted that despite repeated government assurances of religious freedom, the Bahá’í community in Egypt has faced systematic state-backed discrimination for nearly a century. Since 1920, Bahá’ís have been labeled as heretics by religious authorities, and a 1960 decree banned Bahá’í activities and confiscated their property.
He emphasized that Egypt’s independent human rights organizations documented multiple violations following the launch of the National Human Rights Strategy, including the arrest of over 100 individuals for expressing solidarity with Gaza and the detention of at least 700 people during the COP27 climate conference simply for advocating for protests. The authorities also targeted and arrested supporters of opposition presidential candidate Ahmed Tantawy.
In conclusion, Attallah stressed, “Human rights in Egypt cannot improve without an open public space, democratic governance, and a free press. Democracy ensures accountability and oversight—two essential mechanisms for protecting civil, political, economic, and social rights. Without these fundamental elements, any reforms will remain superficial, aimed solely at improving the regime’s international image rather than addressing systematic violations.”
– Qandil: “Do Not Reward Tyrants for Your Interests!”
In her remarks, Egyptian journalist and media figure, as well as the wife of detained politician Ahmed Tantawy, emphasized that she was representing him not only as her life partner but also as a fellow struggler. She highlighted that he, along with thousands of political detainees and prisoners of conscience—including members of his presidential campaign—had been brutally prevented from continuing in the presidential race.
Qandil asserted that “imprisonment in Egypt is arbitrary, without criteria or legal basis.” She explained that Tantawy and 22 members of his campaign were imprisoned based on fabricated charges, with weak investigative evidence and only a single witness—an officer from the National Security Agency who never attended a single court session. “There is neither material nor moral evidence, and no real investigation was conducted,” she said.
She added that her husband had been denied the right to appeal his sentence, stating, “We were not even notified that his appeal had been rejected, and the one-year prison sentence was confirmed. There is also a possibility that he may be subjected to further detention in May.”
Qandil stressed that they had not and would not request a presidential pardon, asserting, “We have done nothing wrong; we merely exercised our legal and constitutional rights.”
Concluding her remarks, Qandil addressed global decision-makers, warning, “In a region full of deals, with a possible second term for Trump—who allows his favorite dictator to do as he pleases, including kidnapping dissidents and sending them to torture chambers—we will not remain silent. We say: Do not reward tyrants for your interests, and do not sacrifice the best minds of our generation!”
– Husseini: What Happened to Abd El-Rahman Al-Qaradawi is an Unprecedented Violation
Samar Husseini, a representative of the Egyptian Forum for Rights and Freedoms, focused her speech on the status of human rights defenders and the shrinking civic space in Egypt. She pointed out that human rights defenders in Egypt face charges under anti-terrorism laws.
She cited the case of Hossam Bahgat, Executive Director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, who was recently interrogated over a statement issued by his organization. She also noted that two of his colleagues remain under travel bans.
Additionally, Husseini highlighted that many human rights defenders in Egypt are still listed on terrorism watchlists, including Mohamed El-Baqer, who participated in the National Dialogue despite his name being listed among alleged terrorists.
She further explained that these repressive practices are not limited to Egypt but extend beyond its borders, as the Egyptian regime has employed transnational repression against activists in exile. One of the methods used is placing them on terrorism lists. Among those targeted is Abd El-Rahman Al-Qaradawi, who was added to such a list and sentenced in absentia inside Egypt. He was also prevented from renewing his identification documents or passport from any Egyptian consulate in Turkey, Qatar, or elsewhere.
Regarding Al-Qaradawi’s case, Husseini described the events of January 8, when Lebanon extradited him to the UAE, as a blatant example of transnational repression. “This case embodies all elements of this form of oppression: denying him consular services as a human rights defender in exile, fabricating new legal charges against him while he was abroad for his political activism, issuing an in-absentia ruling against him inside Egypt, and then extraditing him to a third country (the UAE) without guarantees for his safety,” she explained.
Husseini warned that this unprecedented incident sets a dangerous precedent, allowing any country in the region to deport human rights defenders and political activists to third states based on financial or political leverage. She quoted a statement from the Lebanese Cabinet, which reportedly said, “We deported a human rights defender to the UAE because they pay us more.” She emphasized that this was not speculation but an official statement.
– Khaled: My Mother’s Case is a Model for What Activists Endure in Egypt
In her speech, human rights activist Jihad Khaled, daughter of detained human rights defender Huda Abd El-Moneim, said, “Today, January 28, is my mother’s birthday. She turns 66 today. This is her seventh birthday in prison. For the seventh year in a row, I cannot celebrate with her, I cannot give her a gift. The only thing I can do is be here today, telling her story and raising her voice.”
Khaled shed light on her mother’s case, stating, “My mother was arrested more than six years ago, on November 1, 2018. She was sentenced to five years in prison, and she completed her sentence on October 31, 2023. She was supposed to return home. But instead, she was placed in a new case with the same charges—a clear violation of the law and a breach of justice.”
She added, “Now, after a year and three months, she has been referred to trial in two new cases, which have significantly impacted her health. She was so devastated by the news that she spent 12 days bedridden, unable to move or even see properly, which raises serious concerns about her well-being.”
Concluding her speech, Khaled emphasized that “there are no guarantees of a fair trial. If there were any justice, my mother would be home today, having already completed her sentence.” She stressed that her mother’s case was not an isolated one but rather a reflection of the broader repression faced by human rights defenders such as Ibrahim Metwally, Marwa Arafa, Aisha Al-Shater, and dozens of others imprisoned in Egyptian jails.
