Egypt uses anti-terror laws against critics, according to Human Rights Watch



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Egyptian authorities increasingly use counterterrorism, state emergency laws and courts to unfairly prosecute journalists, activists and critics for peaceful criticism, Human said Rights Watch. Egypt chaired one of the main UN committees to ensure compliance with anti-terrorist resolutions and while the top UN counterterrorism officer visited the country

"While Egypt is threatened, the government of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has cynically exploited these threats as a cover to pursue peaceful criticism and to revive the infamous Mubarak state security courts ", said Nadim Houry, director of terrorism / counter-terrorism at Human Rights Watch. "Egypt combines bad law with unjust tribunals and the result has been predictably disastrous, Western al-Sisi allies are turning away."

In the run-up to the presidential elections of March 2018, Egyptian police and national security forces carried out a wave of arrests of critics al-Sisi. The crackdown continued after the elections, with the detention of prominent activists and journalists and their prosecution under the Egyptian counter-terrorism law of 2015. The law criminalizes a wide range of acts, including the publication or promotion of news on terrorism if it contradicts official statements.

Some cases have been transferred to the State Security Courts of Emergency, a parallel judicial system operating since October 2017. The urgency that the government claims to be used only against terrorists and terrorists. drug traffickers. These courts do not guarantee a fair trial and their decisions are not subject to appeal.

Human Rights Watch has documented the detention of dozens of activists and journalists since 2015, when the new anti-terrorism law was promulgated and prosecuted for terrorism-related charges. In each case, the charges are apparently based on peaceful criticism or opposition to the authorities. Some of those prosecuted are affiliated with opposition parties and movements such as the Strong Egypt Party and the April 6 Youth Movement, while others are journalists and human rights defenders.

including Wael Abbas. The security forces detained him on May 23, 2018 and kept him there for nearly 36 hours in an undisclosed location before driving him to the prosecutors. Amal Fathy, a political activist and wife of the head of the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms, a human rights organization, and Shady Abu Zaid, a cartoon known for a 2016 viral video in which he has inflated condoms They sent them to the security forces guarding Tahrir Square on the occasion of the anniversary of the Egyptian revolution of 2011.

The authorities referred these cases to the Supreme Security Court of the state, which usually oversees terrorism cases. Lawyers are frequently prevented from accompanying their clients to interrogations. Prosecutors have accused several anti-terror campaigners of "helping a terrorist group achieve its goals" or "spreading false news" or joining a "banned group" and letting it go. have referred to state security courts.

on the allegations that he was part of the "media wing of the Muslim Brotherhood", the political group of President-elect fallen Mohamed Morsy. Several journalists and activists have been indicted in this case, the 441 case of 2018, in recent weeks, including some who really criticize the Muslim Brotherhood.

The government of Al-Sisi, badisted by a major media outlet that Reporters Without Borders says is under growing intelligence control, has sought to portray a vast conspiracy against the security of Egypt that includes human rights and labor activists, members of the Muslim Brotherhood, journalists and advocates. In March 2018, the Department of the Interior released a video, The Spider's Web which described various groups ranging from the Islamic State (also known as ISIS ) to the Muslim Brotherhood, via Human Rights Watch. , as part of a conspiracy against the security of Egypt.

Since 2013, Egypt has banned a wide range of groups as "terrorist organizations," including the Muslim Brotherhood; April 6 Youth Movement, a group of activists who played a key role in the protests against Mubarak in 2011; and Ultras football, hardcore fan groups. The Cairo Court for urgent cases, a non-specialized court, rendered most of these decisions.

The use of the emergency courts adds to a broader legal arsenal that the security forces have used in the name of the fight against terrorism.

In March 2018, the newly appointed head of the newly established UN Counter-Terrorism Office, Assistant Secretary-General Vladimir Voronkov, visited Egypt. Voronkov's office was established in June 2017 to direct the execution of the General Assembly's counter-terrorism mandates. These include, as one of the four pillars of the counter-terrorism strategy, "guaranteeing human rights and the rule of law". Although the exact nature of the discussions has not been disclosed, no criticism has been made publicly about any of the main pillars of the UN. From January 2016 to January 2018, while Egypt was using its antiterrorist courts to silence dissidents, Egypt was chair of the United Nations Security Council (CTC) Counter-Terrorism Committee, a subsidiary body. composed of the 15 members of the Council. monitor the implementation by Member States of the various resolutions and decisions of the Security Council in the fight against terrorism. Security Council resolution 1624 (2005), which deals with the incitement to commit terrorist acts, stresses that countries must ensure that all the measures they take to implement the resolution respect all their obligations under international law, including international human rights law. Egypt is proud to present itself as a key international player in the fight against terrorism, but its national record shows that it is fighting peaceful critics and dissidents under the guise of fighting "terrorism" Houry said, "The most worrisome part is that international actors charged with ensuring an effective and human rights-friendly counter-terrorism strategy have been completely silent about this repression."

emergency emergency courses are emergency courts 162 of 1958. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi decreed a state of emergency national in April 2017, which was renewed and in Since then, former Prime Minister Sherif Ismail issued a decree in October 2017, placing numerous crimes, including those related to protest, badembly, terrorism and labor law, under the jurisdiction of the security courts of the 9. State. Www.hrw.org/[19659006�19459010Äù19459004]

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