ERC: Urging UK parliament to raise blatant human rights violations with Egyptian Parliamentary Delegation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Press statement

Urging UK parliament to raise blatant human rights violations with Egyptian Parliamentary Delegation

In a letter to the UK Parliament, the Egyptian Revolutionary Council (ERC) urged UK Parliamentarians and the Foreign Affairs Select Committee members to raise, with the Egyptian parliamentary delegation that is visiting the UK during this week¹, the issues of lack of transparency and rule of law, and the brutal oppression of dissent, among other blatant violations committed by the Egyptian military dictatorship. 

The ERC highlighted the fact that the current Egyptian Parliament is simply a facade for the military dictatorship as reflected in the fact that, during the first 15 days following its inception in January 2016, it approved - without revision - all but one of the 342 presidential-decree laws issued by then military appointed Interim President Adly Mansour and subsequently by Sisi, despite the clear autocratic nature and the violations of basic human rights prevalent in many of them.

The ERC urged the UK parliament to bring up highly controversial and discriminatory laws such as the Civil Society Law and the Church Building Law, and to discuss the case of the Irish citizen Ibrahim Halawa, whose trial was adjourned² for the 16^th time in violation of both international and Egyptian law, and who was imprisoned as a minor.

The ERC also reminded the UK Parliament of Giulio Regini, the Italian citizen and Cambridge University PhD student, who was tortured and killed without mercy in Egypt and whose family, friends and colleagues in the UK still await accountability and justice from the Egyptian state. This is in light of a strong case that points to the Egyptian security forces for being responsible for this tragedy.

Dr Maha Azzam, Head of the Egyptian Revolutionary Council said, “We would like to stress that the rapidly deteriorating situation in Egypt under this regime; the abuse of rule of law, the brutal oppression of dissent and the well documented use of torture by the regime against political opponents, are all discussed with the Egyptian delegation. We ask government officials, Members of Parliament and all those concerned who are meeting with the delegation to call for the repeal of thousands of death sentences, including those issued by military courts, and the release of the thousands of political dissidents, journalists and innocent minors including the Irish citizen Ibrahim Halawa”.

[END]

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