The Committee for Justice (CFJ) has submitted a detailed contribution in response to the call for inputs issued by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, in preparation for the report on terrorism and human rights to be presented at the United Nations Human Rights Council during its 63rd session, pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 57/11.
In the input CFJ documents how Egypt’s counter-terrorism framework has evolved into a standing system of repression, extending far beyond legitimate security objectives. The input demonstrates that counter-terrorism measures are systematically used to criminalize peaceful expression, restrict civic space, and target journalists, lawyers, human rights defenders, researchers, and political critics.
CFJ highlights the central role of vague and overly broad legislation, particularly Law No. 94 of 2015 on Countering Terrorism and Law No. 8 of 2015 on Terrorist Entities, in enabling authorities to frame peaceful activities—such as online expression, documentation of violations, or engagement with UN human rights mechanisms—as threats to national security.
The submission further examines the increasing reliance on digital surveillance and cybercrime legislation to monitor communications, seize personal devices, and prosecute individuals based on online activity. These practices occur in the absence of effective safeguards, independent oversight, or access to remedy.
A key focus of the contribution is the systematic use of arbitrary detention in terrorism-related cases. CFJ documented patterns of arrest without warrants, enforced disappearance, incommunicado detention, and coercive interrogation practices, including torture and ill-treatment. The submission also underscores the widespread use of prolonged pretrial detention and the practice of “case recycling,” whereby detainees are recharged under new cases to circumvent legal limits on detention.
The input further highlights the absence of meaningful judicial safeguards, including the reliance on undisclosed security reports, denial of access to case files, and the use of remote detention renewal hearings that undermine fair trial guarantees. It also addresses the use of administrative restrictions—such as travel bans, police probation, and continuous monitoring—as extensions of punitive control beyond detention.
CFJ concludes that Egypt’s counter-terrorism system fails to meet the requirements of legality, necessity, and proportionality under international human rights law, and instead facilitates widespread violations, including arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, torture, and unlawful interference with privacy.
CFJ calls on OHCHR to reflect these patterns in its report and to urge the Egyptian authorities to bring their counter-terrorism framework into full compliance with international human rights standards, including by ending the use of counter-terrorism measures against peaceful civic activity, ensuring accountability for violations, and establishing effective safeguards and remedies.