Rights Groups Urge African Commission to Address Egypt’s Human Rights Crisis

Twenty-two human rights organizations have called on the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights to take decisive action regarding Egypt’s escalating human rights crisis. The appeal follows the commission’s recent review of Egypt’s human rights record during its 85th session.

During the session, both the Egyptian government and the commission’s country rapporteur presented reports that human rights advocates claim misrepresented or ignored critical abuses. Egypt’s official report, which covers the period from 2019 to 2024, dismissed allegations of detained journalists and prisoners of conscience. Instead, it framed restrictions on civil society as necessary measures to promote “transparency.”

Concerns Over Misrepresentation of Human Rights Conditions

The country rapporteur’s report also failed to address numerous documented violations. It described the 2023 presidential election as “peaceful” and “competitive,” despite extensive evidence of repression, criminalization of assembly, and prosecutions of potential candidates. Critics pointed out that a 2024 “familiarization visit” by the rapporteur did not include meetings with independent Egyptian human rights organizations, raising questions about the thoroughness of the review.

Reports from outside official submissions reveal a starkly different reality. Over the past decade, the Egyptian government has detained thousands of peaceful critics, journalists, political figures, and human rights defenders under broad terrorism charges or accusations of spreading “false news.” Patterns of enforced disappearance, systematic torture, and prolonged pretrial detention have been persistent, often renewed through the “rotation” of detainees into new cases.

Authorities have taken extensive measures to suppress dissent, including blocking hundreds of news and civil society websites, dispersing small demonstrations, and carrying out preemptive mass arrests in anticipation of protests linked to economic issues and regional conflicts. Notable figures such as blogger Alaa Abdel Fattah, lawyer Hoda Abdel Moneim, and political challenger Ahmed Tantawy remain imprisoned or face renewed charges despite having served their sentences.

Calls for Accountability and Action

Human rights groups emphasize that structural changes implemented since 2019 have further entrenched the security apparatus. Constitutional amendments have expanded military authority, while broad counterterrorism and cybercrime laws contribute to a climate of fear. Critics highlight a draft Criminal Procedure Code that has drawn international condemnation for weakening fair trial protections and allowing prolonged detention without meaningful judicial oversight.

Concerns over accountability for deaths in custody, allegations of torture, and previous incidents of mass killings of protesters remain unaddressed. The African Commission has previously issued several resolutions identifying Egypt as being in violation of the African Charter, noting issues such as mass death sentences and restrictions on journalists. However, the commission has not adopted a new resolution regarding Egypt since 2015, despite the increasingly dire situation.

The coalition of organizations urged the commission to issue a new resolution and ensure that its concluding observations are based on a comprehensive assessment of current conditions. They called for enhanced public engagement, urgent appeals to the Egyptian government, and the establishment of a dedicated follow-up mechanism under Rule 112 to monitor the implementation of recommendations.

Furthermore, they warned that ongoing trends of arbitrary detention and abuse in custody may necessitate the use of the commission’s early-warning powers to alert the African Union Peace and Security Council. The organizations asserted that any proposal to hold a future session of the African Commission in Egypt should be contingent upon verifiable guarantees that all participants, including domestic critics, can enter and leave the country safely without fear of intimidation or reprisals.