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
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– UPWC, secretariat member of the General Union of Palestinian Women and a prominent Human Rights Defender and activist in Palestine. Her work is well renowned at the regional and international level and is recognised for “empowering Palestinian women and advocating against human rights violations resulting from the Israeli occupation”. She is active at the World Social Forum and a member of the Regional Coalition for Women Human Rights Defenders in Middle East and North Africa – and framed within the definition of the
European Union in its Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders.
Following her arrest, on 9 November, the Israeli military commander announced that Khitam would be incarcerated for 6 months under an administrative detention (AD) order and sent her to Ofer Prison. After an appeal from her lawyers, Khitam will be held for at least 4 months under AD without charges, trial or conviction nor a definite date of release, as AD orders remain subject to renewal. It