| Human Rights First Condemns Crackdown on Dissidents
in Egypt
Read the Joint Human Rights First/HRW/PHR
Press Release on this Statement
March 27, 2003
The Egyptian government may be taking advantage of the international
attention focused on the war in Iraq to take further steps to intimidate
independent activists and government critics. The government’s
harsh crackdown on anti-war demonstrators, that has followed a major
public demonstration in Cairo on March 20, has greatly exceeded
in its scope and intensity restrictions on the right to freedom
of peaceful assembly that are permitted in international law.
The use of torture and arbitrary detention are clear violations
of human rights that send a stark message to independent activists
of all kinds in Egypt: the state is prepared to act outside the
law if it perceives that its interests might be threatened. The
apparent targeting of lawyers and even elected members of parliament
suggests that the government may be trying to suppress dissent by
silencing leading activists. Security forces invaded the headquarters
of the Egyptian bar association on March 21 and detained fifteen
lawyers who were known for their work defending anti-war demonstrators
and other participants in protests critical of government policies.
The persecution of lawyers for their work representing clients and
supporting causes that may be unpopular with the government undermines
the rule of law and violates international instruments like the
UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers. Members of parliament
Hamdeen Sabahi and Mohammed Farid Hasaneen have been charged with
offenses relating to their participation in anti-war demonstrations,
despite their parliamentary immunity from criminal prosecution.
Given the strength of public feeling in Egypt about the U.S. led
invasion of Iraq, the government is rightly concerned that public
protests should be peaceful and not endanger public safety. However,
the government cannot claim that by using intimidatory, illegal
methods it is contributing to public peace. On the contrary, stifling
legitimate peaceful protest is likely to be counter-productive,
building public frustration and fueling political extremism.
The United States and its allies have claimed to be fighting the
war in Iraq in the name of freedom for the people of Iraq and to
create a democratic model for a region suffering from a lack of
basic freedoms. These claims have been met by much skepticism, not
least by human rights activists in the Middle East. Human Rights First supports a role for the United States in promoting democracy
and human rights in the Middle East. However, for this policy to
be credible and effective it cannot simply be expressed as a war
aim, or a rhetorical objective. The U.S. must be willing to challenge
its allies in the region when they flagrantly violate human rights.
Such criticism is perhaps especially important when people in the
region are forcibly prevented from dissenting from US policy. Even
as the conflict rages in Iraq, the U.S. should develop and sustain
its focus on promoting basic rights and freedoms throughout the
region. The war must not be used by authoritarian governments as
an opportunity to further roll back human rights.
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