Protest against human rights abuses in Egypt

New EU Deal Ignores Suffering of Torture Survivors in Egypt

By Olivia Dehnavi, Advocacy Officer 

This year, the European Union and Egypt entered a “Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership” in which the EU “acknowledges Egypt as a reliable partner” as well as Egypt’s “unique and vital geo-strategic role as a pillar of security, moderation, and peace” in the region.  

But despite the positive press, the human rights situation in Egypt remains dire, evident by the findings of UN treaty bodies, such as the Human Rights Committee and the Committee Against Torture, who reviewed Egypt’s record last year. According to those findings and numerous NGO reports, torture and enforced disappearance are rampant, perpetrators are not held to account, and detainees suffer ill-treatment in prison where lack of health care and death in detention is the norm. Opportunities for justice, rehabilitation or redress for survivors are almost non-existent. 

On International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, 26th June, REDRESS and other organisations working on human rights in Egypt held a side event during the 56th session of the UN Human Rights Council on this issue: “Torture in Egypt: Erasure of Survivors in European-Egyptian Partnership Agreement?”. 

During the event, co-sponsored by the Egypt Forum and moderated by Dr Moataz El Fegiery, REDRESS, Dignity, the Committee for Justice (CFJ), and the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF) expressed disbelief and condemned the fact that a new partnership agreement with the EU had been brokered when Egypt is overrun with widespread and systematic violations of human rights. 

Grant Shubin set out findings from Dignity’s report on the systemic and systematic nature of torture in Egypt, highlighting that torture is deeply embedded in the structure and culture of Egypt’s security apparatus and institutionalised through abusive practices at every level of the criminal justice system. This involves collusion between law enforcement, prosecutors, and places of detention. Even though the Egyptian Constitution prohibits the use of statements given under torture, criminal trials routinely rely on such evidence. He pointed out that the failure of the international community to hold perpetrators to account emboldened the Egyptian regime to maintain its practice of torture and abuse. 

REDRESS outlined the legal analysis in its report “Torture in Egypt: A Crime Against Humanity”, which concludes that Egyptian authorities’ use of torture is so widespread and systematic as to amount to a crime against humanity under customary international law by which Egypt is bound. It further set out the practical and legal benefits of international acknowledgement of torture in Egypt as an international crime, enabling States to make more informed choices about their diplomatic and economic relationships with Egypt, and opening avenues for accountability. 

Ahmed Mehfreh from CFJ highlighted the situation of the many arbitrary detainees in need of rehabilitation and reintegration back into society upon their release. He outlined concerns that the Egyptian government has been successful in rebranding itself on the global stage, winning international partnerships with other States, while withholding reparation, justice and truth from survivors 

Mohamed Lotfy from ECRF outlined how a culture of impunity enjoyed by the Egyptian authorities – including police officers – breeds human rights violations. He spoke of the plight of migrants in Egypt who are mistreated by the authorities and subject to return to countries where there is risk of torture, or refoulement. He explained that part of the reason for the new EU partnership with Egypt is the EU’s fear of immigration, and willingness to let Egypt deal harshly with asylum seekers who might be heading to its borders. 

The organisations made recommendations to end the widespread use of torture in Egypt, including calling on: 

  • The Egyptian government to act urgently to end the systematic use of torture, hold those responsible to account, and repair the harm inflicted on victims, including by providing rehabilitation to former detainees and by enacting law and policy reforms. 
  • The UN Human Rights Council to establish an investigative body, such as a Commission of Inquiry or a Fact-Finding Mission, or a Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Egypt, tasked with monitoring, investigating and establishing the facts and circumstances of torture as a crime against humanity in Egypt, as well as other violations of human rights. 
  • States to examine their political, diplomatic and economic relationships with Egypt in light of the prevalent human rights violations. States should also recognise torture in Egypt as a crime against humanity and ensure that perpetrators of torture in Egypt are held to account, including through universal jurisdiction cases, civil claims, sanctions, and other available avenues for accountability. 
  • EU member states to set up benchmarks to assess Egypt’s progress on human rights before offering loans, as outlined in a joint letter sent to the European Commission by Egyptian and international human rights organisations.  

For more information, please contact Olivia Dehnavi, Advocacy Officer at REDRESS, on [email protected]. 

Photo: Reuters/Christian Hartmann