Mubarak Visit Offers Obama Administration Opportunity to Push Human Rights, Democracy in Egypt

August 18th White House meeting precedes upcoming Egyptian elections

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Washington, DC – Next week’s meeting between President Barack Obama and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak offers the administration a unique opportunity to promote human rights and democracy in Egypt, according to Human Rights First. The presidents are scheduled to meet on Tuesday, August 18, at the White House. The trip is Mubarak’s first visit to Washington in six years.

In a letter sent today, Human Rights First called on President Obama to urge President Mubarak to make measurable progress in the fields of human rights and democracy in the coming months as Egypt prepares for parliamentary elections in 2010 and for a presidential election in 2011. Should President Mubarak decide to step down after 30 years in office, the upcoming presidential election could produce a new president in Egypt.

“The upcoming elections are a key test of the Egyptian government’s commitment to human rights and democracy,” said Neil Hicks, International Policy Advisor at Human Rights First. “The more credible the elections, the firmer foundation for Egypt to move forward with an agenda of improved respect for human rights and the rule of law.”

It its letter, Human Rights First urged President Obama to put into practice the principles he expounded in his June speech in Cairo. Specifically, the organization encouraged President Obama to seek guarantees from President Mubarak that there will be credible independent supervision of the electoral process, that the basic rights and freedoms of independent civil society representatives who wish to monitor and comment on the elections should be upheld, and that opposition candidates should be able to contest the elections free from harassment and official obstruction.  Human Rights First also called on President Obama to urge President Mubarak to invite reputable international election monitoring organizations to carry out evaluations in Egypt.

In addition to requests related to upcoming elections, Human Rights First urged President Obama to raise the worsening situation of Egypt’s religious minorities, especially the Coptic Christian minority, with President Mubarak.  In its letter, the organization asked President Obama to push for President Mubarak to pass a law that would lift restrictions on the ability of Christians to build or expand churches, and to implement policies that would tackle discrimination and deal effectively with increasing incidents of sectarian violence.

“Promoting human rights and democracy in Egypt serves the national interest of the United States by contributing to regional stability and enhancing the nation’s reputation and credibility throughout the Arab region,” concluded Hicks. “President Obama must view next week’s meeting as an opportunity to begin to put into practice the commitments he made in Cairo.”

Read Human Rights First’s August 13th Letter to the Obama Administration

Read Human Rights First’s “How to Promote Human Rights in Egypt: Blueprint for the Obama Administration”

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