COP27: What is Egypt’s human rights record? How many political prisoners do they have

While thousands of delegates preapre to descend on Egypt for COP27, attention has turned to the human rights record of the country
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Egypt is about to host one of the biggest climate conferences in the world. COP27 is due to be held in the resort town of Sharm El Sheikh, with thousands of delegates and world leaders arriving to make their case for improving the climate emergency.

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But while delegates will be focusing on climate issues, questions have been raised over the host country. The human rights record of Egypt is under the microscope.

As seen at COP26 in Glasgow, fringe protests and demonstrations are often commonplace at the climate conference. With the arrest of activists and the heavy-handed approach of the Egyptian security services, many people have questioned whether the country is fit to host the international meeting of minds.

We take a look at the human rights record of Egypt and just how many political prisoners are in jail in the country while COP27 goes on. Here’s everything you need to know.

What is Egypt’s human rights record?

As of 2022, the human rights record of Egypt is questionable. The US Department of State released a report in 2019 in which it described the country as breaking “significant human rights issues” such as “unlawful or arbitrary killings”, forced disappearance, torture, political imprisonment, restrictions on freedom of expression and restrictions on the press and the internet.

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In 2021, non-profit US-based freedom research group Freedom House classed Egypt as “not free”. Human Rights Watch also said that the country is currently in “one of its worst” human rights crisis in decades under the rule of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

The country has also been criticised for its treatment of journalists and the press - Reporters Without Borders ranked the country 166th in the world for freedom of press in 2021. Additionally, Amnesty International said in September 2022 that Egyptian authorities have used the country’s National Human Rights Strategy as a propaganda tool in covering up repression of any dissent against the government.

The human rights record of Egypt is under the microscope as the country prepares to host COP27. (credit: Getty Images)The human rights record of Egypt is under the microscope as the country prepares to host COP27. (credit: Getty Images)
The human rights record of Egypt is under the microscope as the country prepares to host COP27. (credit: Getty Images)

How many political prisoners are there in Egypt?

With a heavy-handed approach to silencing dissenters, many of those who speak out against the government are often arrested and put in jail. According to several human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, there are currently around 60,000 political prisoners in Egypt.

The number has increased since President Sisi took office in 2014. According to the New York Times “no public records exist of how many people are held in pretrial detention” but numbers have been estimated via handwritten court logs held by Egyptian defence lawyers.

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Ahead of the COP27 conference, President Sisi released hundreds of political prisoners. However, according to the Wall Street Journal, some of those released said that they had been tortured with imprisoned.

There are fears that climate activists may feel the brunt of the Egyptain security forces during the climate conference. Protests and demostrations are regularly held during the meeting each year, with activists urging delgates to look at different issues surrounding the climate emergency.

There have already been reports of arrests of climate activists. Sixty seven people were arresed in Cairo as security services attempted to stop protests around the COP27 meeting.

Indian activist Ajit Rajagopal was arrested after beginning an eight-day walk from Cairo to Sharm El Sheikh to raise climate awareness, with local human rights group describing the arrest as “illegal”. The protester is said to have been arrested at a security checkpoint as he did not have the proper authorisation to protest.

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