An examination of the human rights situation in Egypt shows that it is even worse than one might expect, says a new report issued jointly by three human rights organizations on July 12.
The report, entitled "Human Rights Issues in Egypt 1998," was presented by the Al Nadim Center for the Management and Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence, the Center for Human Rights Legal Aid (CHRLA) and The Human Rights Center for the Assistance of Prisoners (HRCAP). The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR), on whose premises the report was made public, released a report of its own which drew similar conclusions.
The scope of the report includes the most significant human rights violations committed last year, including the situation in prisons, number of death sentences, instance of tortures and violations to freedom of expression, along with an analysis of violations of the constitution.
"The situation of human rights in Egypt has never been worse," said Aida Seif Al Dawla, of the Nadim Center. She said there were 85 death penalties issued by military courts in less than ten years - far more than they had handed down from the period from 1882 until 1993.
Not that the situation has ever been great in Egypt, but according to Gasser Abdel Razeq of CHRLA, it has actually worsened since 1998. "1998 witnessed new issues," he said. "Last year we witnessed the imprisonment of four journalists, more restrictive legislation and the continuation of the Emergency Law."
The Emergency Law is one of the main justifications for human rights violations by the government. In force for 18 years, it gives the state control over public rights and freedoms "because of terrorism." Even though there was a clear decline in activity by terrorist groups last year, however, there was no decline in the use of the law.
Abdel Razeq sees other reasons for the government’s decision to maintain this restrictive piece of legislation. "In my opinion, the reason why they want to keep the Emergency Law is that it is very useful when there is any sort of popular activism," he said. "They need it for control whenever things get out of hand."
The report also pointed out that despite the release of 3,000 detainees that there are still an estimated 15,000 people under detention have not been charged with any crime. In the meantime they are forced to endure bad prison conditions.
Seventeen inmates died in the past year as a result of these conditions, which include torture, maltreatment and the absence of medical care.
Another issue discussed in the report was the situation of torture in Egypt. "Torture cases are becoming more violent," said Seif Al Dawla. According to her, the situation is aggravated by the fact that victims cannot take their torturers to court. "The officers are protected by law," she said.
Showing a picture of a farmer who was a victim of torture, she emphasized the fact that torture is not used only against the politically active. The farmer was accused of petty theft, but refused to confess. His interrogator got angry, poured kerosene over him and set him on fire and subsequently, the farmer died.
According to Abdel Razeq, the reason human rights are so frequently violated in Egypt is not a lack of rule of law, but rather its misapplication. "The new thing in Egypt is the use of legislation to violate human rights," he explained. "The amendments made to the press law were supposed to be a victory for journalists, but four of them ended up serving time in prison. And the NGO law was supposed to liberalize civil society, but it will have the opposite effect."
The new law governing NGOs, which was passed by parliament in May 1999, is widely believed by human rights groups to be directed towards restricting their activities.
Besides political and civil rights, the ten-page report also covers violations of social and economic rights, illustrated by anecdotes and figures which the authors admitted are "not always accurate." Even so, faced with such a collection of evidence, it was difficult for the presenters to be optimistic.
"Human rights are deteriorating, more rights are being violated," concluded Abdel Razeq. "And they will continue to deteriorate under the current government."
