Originally published by Daily News Egypt on February 10, 2015—
“The human rights situation in Egypt is dire, according to Nasser Amin, Head of The Arab Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and the Legal Profession (ACIJLP) and member of the National Council on Human Rights (NCHR).
Amin added that the government should not use the “war on terrorism” as an excuse to commit human rights violations or issue exceptional laws. He explained that international standards apply, even in the midst of a war on terrorism.
How do you assess the human rights situation in Egypt during the last phase?
From 25 January [2011] to now, Egypt has entered into a different stage, a phase of violence and counter-violence as well as the outbreak of large-scale terrorist operations. We can asses this situation as unstable, especially since the state announced that it is engaged in a war against terrorism; this serves to expand the scope of human rights violations. Our role is to call on the government to respect human rights, and declaring a war on terrorism is not a justification to widen the scope of human rights violations or issuing exceptional laws. International standards apply, even in the midst of a war on terrorism.
During the latest United Nations Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review in Geneva, Egypt received 316 recommendations, which is more than the number received in 2010.
The situation of the country in 2010 was fairly stable and 52 countries made recommendations, unlike in 2014, where 152 countries made two recommendations each, bringing the total to 300. The Arab, non-aligned, and Islamic groups also participated, which further increased the number of recommendations. Egypt is going through variable circumstances and after four years the situation has yet to stabilize following big political movements, egregious violations, and two revolutions.”
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HUMAN RIGHTS SOCIETY 