Paris, 16 April 2019: Today, the Egyptian Parliament is examining constitutional amendments that, if adopted, would allow President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to stay in power until 2034, institutionalising a hardened form of autocracy, including by removing the limit of two four-year presidential mandates. They would also constitutionalise the lack of independence of the judiciary and further undermine the separation of powers by giving unchecked powers to the military by allowing it, amongst others, to depose elected officials and to prosecute political opponents.
EuroMed Rights, FIDH, the Egyptian Human Rights Forum and the French Human Rights League (Ligue des droits de l’Homme) condemn these in the strongest terms at a press conference held in Paris today. The speakers include Alain Gresh, director of online newspaper “Orient XXI” and Middle East and North Africa specialist; Claire Talon, researcher, former correspondent for “Le Monde” newspaper in Egypt and former director of the Middle East and North Africa division at FIDH; Amr Waked and Khaled Abol Naga, two Egyptian actors who have recently been subject to retaliation and intimidation following their participation in human rights advocacy activities in Washington D.C. The panellists voice their strong opposition to the amendments, which would be a severe blow to human rights and the rule of law in Egypt.
The undersigned organisations stand in solidarity with human rights defenders and pro-democracy activists in Egypt who have been exposed to reprisals and harassment for speaking out against these dictatorial constitutional amendments.
The Portuguese Human Rights League – Civitas, Portuguese member of EuroMed Rights and of the International Federation for Human Rights undersigns this Press Release and Denounce of the Rule of Law degradation in Egypt.
About the co-signatories
- EuroMed Rights is a network of more than 80 human rights organisations, institutions and individuals based in 30 countries in the Euro-Mediterranean. Created in 1997 in response to the Barcelona Declaration and the establishment of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, we stand by universal human rights principles and strongly believe in the value of cooperation and dialogue across and within borders.
- FIDH(International Federation for Human Rights) is an international human rights NGO federating 184 organisations from 112 countries. Since 1922, FIDH has been defending all civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
- ● LDH (Ligue des droits de l’Homme et du citoyen): Created in 1898 to defend an innocent, Captain Dreyfus, the French Human and Citizen’s Rights League has been fighting for justice; freedom; civil and political, economic, social and cultural rights; racism and anti-Semitism for over 120 years.
- The Egyptian Human Rights Forum (EHRF) was founded as an independent NGO and has brought together a number of human rights defenders from various professional and academic fields, serving in their personal capacities. These human rights defenders are currently residing in Europe and the United States because they have been forced out of Egypt. The political persecution, security threats, and even assassination threats made it impossible for them to pursue their legitimate civil and human rights activism within the severely restrictive authoritarian environment.
- About the The Portuguese Human Rights League – Civitas: founded in 1921 by Human Rights activists, throughout its history and in several political contexts, has persisted in its fundamental aim on defending the consecrated rights of the Universal Declaration of the Human Rights, 1948. It is currently the Portuguese member of the International Federation for Human Rights, (FIDH), of the EuroMed Rights and of the European Association for Human Rights (EAHR)..
To access the full press release, please click here.
Oumou (Press Office of FIDH)
+33 7 58 24 30 51
presse@fidh.org