Egypt pays due attention to human rights issues

The Egyptian President of the National Council for Human Rights, Ambassador Moushira Khattab, said on Tuesday that the Egyptian state pays due attention to human rights issues and this is evident in the formation of the new council, which adhered to the Paris standards and in which women occupy the majority of seats. She noted that the council is chaired by a woman for the first time.

This came during the participation of Ambassador Khattab in the meetings of the 137th session of the Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland, where she presented the Council’s assessment of a report submitted by the Human Rights Committee, which included the situation of civil and political rights in Egypt, during the period from November 2020 until September 2022.

Ambassador Khattab said that the council is aware of the existence of a political will to enhance civil and political rights through the announcement of the national strategy for human rights, re-forming the presidential pardon committee, releasing, reintegrating and rehabilitating detainees. Moreover, the Egyptian state opened an inclusive national dialogue for all political parties.

She also indicated the Council is keen to receive citizens’ rights complaints through the complaints system.

She, meanwhile, referred to the complaints system’s fruitful co-operation with the Presidential Pardon Committee. She also noted that the council paid ten visits to correction and rehabilitation centres within 10 months, which is unprecedented in the history of the council, as well as the council’s preparation of a training guide for visits to detention centres based on the Nelson Mandela rules.

Answering a question about the role of the National Council for Human Rights, the Vice-Chairperson of the Council, Ambassador Mahmoud Karem, said that the National Human Rights Strategy created a new reality and reflected the state’s commitment to give the human rights file a special priority.

He also highlighted the role the council plays in monitoring the human rights situation in Egypt, adding that the council’s reports convey the reality, and it plays a pivotal role in reviewing legislation to ensure consistency with international human rights standards.

He pointed out that the council monitors the implementation of the national strategy and is open to co-operation with civil society organisations.

Ambassador Karem said that the council was the first to formulate its recommendations for the national dialogue. He added that the council’s complaints system worked positively with the Presidential Pardon Committee, pointing out that the situation in Egypt is developing rapidly for the better, especially with regard to human rights issues.

The members of the council also explained that Egypt has 106 political parties, which is a very large number compared to major Western countries that have two or three parties. They added that the Political Parties Law issued in 1977 has been subject to several amendments, the most important of which is facilitating the procedures for establishing parties.