Rights Groups Demand Action from African Commission on Egypt’s Crisis

Rights organizations are urging the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights to take immediate action regarding Egypt’s persistent human rights violations. On Thursday, a coalition of 22 organizations released a statement following the commission’s 85th session, which included reports from both the Egyptian government and the commission’s country rapporteur. According to these groups, the reports significantly misrepresented the human rights situation in the country.

The Egyptian government’s official report, which covers the period from 2019 to 2024, dismissed allegations of detained journalists and prisoners of conscience. It framed restrictions on civil society as necessary measures to promote “transparency.” Similarly, the country rapporteur’s report failed to mention widespread abuses, labeling the 2023 presidential election as “peaceful” and “competitive,” despite extensive documentation of repression, the prosecution of potential candidates, and the effective criminalization of assembly, expression, and association.

The rapporteur’s planned 2024 “familiarization visit” faced criticism for not including meetings with independent Egyptian human rights organizations. Outside official submissions present a starkly different perspective. Over the past decade, Egyptian authorities have detained thousands of peaceful critics, journalists, political figures, and human rights defenders under broad terrorism and “false news” charges.

Reports from rights groups and United Nations mechanisms have documented persistent patterns of enforced disappearances, systematic torture, and prolonged pretrial detention. Detainees often face renewed charges in what is referred to as the “rotation” of detainees, where individuals are subjected to multiple cases with similar accusations. Authorities have also intensified their crackdown on civil society, closing hundreds of news and civil society websites, dispersing small demonstrations, and conducting preemptive mass arrests in anticipation of protests related to economic conditions and government responses to regional conflicts.

Prominent activists such as Alaa Abdel Fattah, lawyer Hoda Abdel Moneim, and political challenger Ahmed Tantawy remain imprisoned or face new charges despite serving previous sentences. Structural changes implemented since 2019 have further entrenched the security apparatus. Amendments to the constitution have expanded military authority, while counterterrorism and cybercrime laws remain broadly defined. A draft Criminal Procedure Code has drawn international criticism for undermining fair trial protections and allowing prolonged detention without proper judicial oversight.

Rights organizations highlight the lack of accountability for deaths in custody, allegations of torture, and incidents of mass killings of protesters. The African Commission has previously found Egypt in violation of the African Charter, identifying issues such as mass death sentences and restrictions on journalists. Despite this, no new resolution addressing Egypt’s human rights situation has been adopted since 2015, even as conditions have worsened.

The coalition is calling for the commission to issue a new resolution that accurately reflects the current human rights landscape. They are advocating 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. The organizations have warned that ongoing arbitrary detention, abuse in custody, and counterterrorism operations may necessitate the commission’s early-warning powers to alert the African Union Peace and Security Council.

Additionally, the coalition asserts that any plans to hold future sessions of the African Commission in Egypt must include verifiable guarantees that all participants, particularly domestic critics, can safely enter, engage, and exit the country without facing intimidation or reprisals.