Free speech is a sacred value, but this does not seem to be the case for Agnès Callamard, the secretary-general of Amnesty International (AI), one of the most important organisations that defend freedoms on the global stage.
Callamard unveiled her contempt for free speech before the bare eyes of the whole world Tuesday in Sharm el-Sheikh where the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference, widely known as COP27, is held.
She attended a seminar on jailed Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abdel Fattah on the sidelines of the summit.
Callamard listened attentively to all the claims made about Alaa’s case by his sister, Sanaa Seif. This is free speech.
However, her belief in the same free speech was put under the test when an Egyptian MP, namely Amr Darwish, objected to all the lies spewed by Sanaa about the case.
He wanted to say one thing only: Sanaa is lying.
Apart from being a member of the House of Deputies, Darwish is a human being and his right to express himself should be respected.
Nonetheless, Callamard does not apparently believe in such a right, especially if it does not fit or move hand in hand with her worldview or viewpoint about events.
Soon after she saw Darwish speaking in the seminar, Callamard rushed towards him and kicked him out of the seminar hall, divulging a deeply-rooted scorn for free speech, especially if it does not suit her view.
A lot has been said by international organisations, such as AI, about Alaa’s case, but nobody cared to listen to what Egyptians say about the same case.
Is this free speech as AI knows it? Is it fit for such global organisations to call out all views that do not agree with their own view? Do not such organisations need to reconsider their double standards?
Mohamed Fahmy is the Editor-in-Chief of The Egyptian Gazette
