Dear High Representative,
Dear Foreign Ministers,
We are writing ahead of the January 25th Foreign Affairs Council discussion on Egypt to raise our serious concerns, once again, about the human rights crisis unfolding in the country, and to urge the EU and its member states to take the long overdue steps needed to signal that Egypt’s disregard for human rights will no longer be tolerated.
As we near the 10th anniversary of Egypt’s 2011 revolution, the hopes for freedom and human rights-oriented reform that led Egyptians to take to the streets almost a decade ago, have been shattered by years of brutal repression and a relentless crackdown on any form of dissent. In a letter sent to you nearly one year ago, international human rights NGOs urged the
Torture thrives in darkness. This is why it is most frequent in places of detention, such as police stations, jails, and prisons, which are out of sight for most of society.
Over 10 million people around the world live behind bars, including in pre-trial detention. Many more are locked in psychiatric institutions, military detention and closed refugee camps, which can also be places where torture or ill-treatment festers.
Places of detention are characterized by an imbalance of power between authorities and inmates, which can lead to absolute arbitrariness.
Some of the drivers of torture include forcing confessions to artificially solve cases and boost careers, extorting bribes from the prisoners and/or their families, or the crude spreading of fear to entrench power.
The OMCT works with 200 member organisations to end torture and ill-treatment, assist victims, and protect human rights defenders at risk wherever they…