With the bidding process expected to begin soon, the Sport & Rights Alliance asks FIFA to ensure that the bid evaluation process reflects the results of an opinion poll commissioned by Amnesty International and conducted in 15 countries, which showed that a majority of the public, 53%, believe human rights should be a critical consideration in deciding who hosts major international sporting events.

Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International’s head of economic and social justice, said: “It is clear that the public wants human rights to be a high priority so that the World Cup is a celebration of the game they love and never provides a platform for exploitation, repression or discrimination.

It is clear that the public wants human rights to be a high priority so that the World Cup is a celebration of the game they love and never provides a platform for exploitation, repression or discrimination.

Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International’s head of economic and social justice

“FIFA must rigorously apply the highest human rights standards in evaluating all bids to host its flagship tournament, demand clear human rights action plans, and reject any bid that fails to credibly show how serious human rights risks would be prevented, independently monitored, and remedied if abuses occur.”

FIFA introduced human rights criteria for the first time in the bidding for the 2026 World Cup, following controversies around the process to award the 2018 and 2022 tournaments to Russia and Qatar respectively. It is expected such criteria will be included again, but there are concerns that they may be sidelined or ignored in FIFA’s choice of the 2030 hosts.

Despite the introduction of its human rights policy and bidding criteria in 2017, FIFA has since failed to perform appropriate human rights risk assessments when awarding other tournaments. For example, since 2017, the Club World Cup has been granted to China, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Saudi Arabia without any transparent process or consultation with civil society. There were also widespread violations of human rights in relation to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, despite FIFA having developed a “sustainability strategy”, which included human rights commitments, in 2020. Hundreds of thousands of migrant workers remain without compensation for abuses they suffered in preparing and delivering the tournament.

The call comes as Amnesty International published the results of an opinion poll conducted by YouGov, showing that a majority of people (53%) in 15 countries believe that human rights, including workers’ rights, press freedom and non-discrimination, should be a key consideration when selecting the host of a major sporting event.

Joint bids to host the 2030 men’s World Cup are expected, including one from Spain, Portugal, Morocco and Ukraine, and another from Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. Saudi Arabia is reportedly preparing a joint bid either for 2030 or 2034, with Greece, and Egypt has been raised a possible partner.

The poll showed that, after safety and security (57%), human rights was the most commonly chosen consideration for determining tournament hosts (53%). This was the top consideration in seven of the countries surveyed, and highest in Switzerland (68%), where FIFA is based. More than four times as many people, or 53%, chose human rights as a key factor that should determine the hosts, versus 13% who selected ‘commercial revenues for sports bodies’ as a priority.

The results of the poll clearly show the importance fans place on human rights in determining the hosts of major sports events – far more than politics or profit.

Ronan Evain, executive director of Football Supporters Europe

Ronan Evain, executive director of Football Supporters Europe, said: “The results of the poll clearly show the importance fans place on human rights in determining the hosts of major sports events – far more than politics or profit. We, football supporters, want binding guarantees not only that their own rights will be respected, but also that workers will be assured of decent conditions, journalists will be able to report freely, and human rights activists can speak out without fear.” 

Andrea Florence, director of the Sport & Rights Alliance, said: “Since 2017, FIFA has made important progress in recognizing its human rights responsibilities. But human rights assessments and considerations have not been applied systematically when awarding FIFA tournaments. To demonstrate they are serious about their own policies and statutes, it is critical that FIFA puts human rights front and centre when choosing the host for the 2030 men’s World Cup.”

To demonstrate they are serious about their own policies and statutes, it is critical that FIFA puts human rights front and centre when choosing the host for the 2030 men’s World Cup.

Andrea Florence, director of the Sport & Rights Alliance

Background and Polling

The poll involved almost 17,500 adults in 15 countries. They were asked by YouGov last year to select from a list of ten factors they believed should be ‘key considerations’ when selecting the host of an international sporting event, such as the FIFA men’s World Cup or the Olympic Games. Those polled could select multiple options. The survey was carried out in Argentina, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, UK and USA.

The results in order were: Safety and security of fans, athletes and volunteers (57%), Human rights including workers’ rights, press freedom and non-discrimination (53%), Quality of infrastructure such as stadiums, transport, and hotels (48%), Transparency and measures to tackle corruption (43%), Environmental sustainability and climate change (37%), Cultural and tourism opportunities for visiting fans (28%), The potential economic benefits for the host country (28%), Experience of successfully hosting major sporting events (25%), Sporting legacy for the host country such as the development of domestic sport (24%), Potential commercial revenue for the sports body such as FIFA or the International Olympic Committee (13%), Don’t know (12%), and None of these (4%).

FIFA’s Statutes (article 3) and Human Rights Policy (article 7 and 10) require the global football governing body to “respect” and “strive to promote” human rights, identify and address any adverse human rights impacts of its operations, and to constructively engage with relevant authorities and other stakeholders in its efforts to uphold these responsibilities.

In its Human Rights Policy, FIFA also commits to respecting human rights in line with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. According to the UN Guiding Principles, all companies should conduct human rights due diligence in relation to all aspects of its operations. If serious human rights risks cannot or will not be prevented, the company should take the necessary steps to cease or prevent its impact. 

The final choice of host for the 2030 men’s World Cup is expected to be decided by a vote of all football associations at the annual FIFA Congress in 2024. In 2018, FIFA selected Canada, Mexico and the United States to jointly host the 2026 men’s World Cup.

Members of the Sport & Rights Alliance include Amnesty International, Committee to Protect Journalists, Football Supporters Europe, Human Rights Watch, International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA World), International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), The Army of Survivors, Transparency International and World Players Association.

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 17,477 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 16 August – 6 September 2022. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all surveyed countries’ adults (aged 18+). 

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“Despite talk of reform with the long-awaited launch of the National Dialogue in May, this is yet another outrageous example of the Egyptian authorities’ acts of repression to silence and control critical voices and punish anyone standing up for human rights. Arbitrary and open-ended travel bans have a detrimental impact on activists’ personal and professional lives. They are not only intended to control independent voices and sever their connections with the outside world, but also to instil fear and send a chilling message that dissent will not be tolerated” said Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Research and Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa.   

This is yet another outrageous example of the Egyptian authorities’ acts of repression to silence and control critical voices and punish anyone standing up for human rights

Phillip Luther, Reasearch and Advocacy Director, Amnesty International, Middle East and North Africa

“The Egyptian authorities must immediately revoke all arbitrary travel bans against human rights defenders, civil society members, political opponents and others who are being targeted solely for peacefully exercising their human rights. In addition to violating the right to leave one’s own country, they undermine a host of other rights including to education, family life, health, freedom of expression and association. The international community must put pressure on the Egyptian authorities to stop this vindictive practice and start respecting the rights to freedom of expression and movement.” 

The Egyptian authorities must immediately revoke all arbitrary travel bans against human rights defenders, civil society members, political opponents and others who are being targeted solely for peacefully exercising their human rights

Phillip Luther

Ahmed Samir Santawy told Amnesty International: 

“It has been ten months since I was released from prison with a presidential pardon, however I still feel that I’m still not completely free. My life is on hold. This travel ban is not just depriving me of my basic right to move freely after I was unjustly imprisoned for 18 months, but it is also severely disrupting my life. I can’t pursue my academic career, and I can’t be with my partner in Belgium. I am not allowed to plan for my future because I don’t know if they will let me travel to start a PhD for example”. 

This travel ban is not just depriving me of my basic right to move freely after I was unjustly imprisoned for 18 months, but it is also severely disrupting my life. I can’t pursue my academic career, and I can’t be with my partner in Belgium

Ahmed Samir Santawy, Researcher

Background:  

Ahmed Samir Santawy is a researcher and an anthropology student at the Central European University in Vienna, Austria. His research generally addresses women’s rights, with a focus on reproductive rights. He was arrested on 1 February 2021 and subsequently convicted for spreading “false news” and sentenced to four years’ imprisonment following an unfair trial. His conviction was based solely on social media posts criticizing human rights violations in Egypt and the state’s mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic. Following a global campaign, he was released on 30 July 2022 after receiving a presidential pardon.  

Cairo International Airport officials previously arbitrarily banned Ahmed Samir Santawy from travelling to Austria to resume his studies on 27 August 2022, citing “instructions from security agencies”.  

Egyptian authorities continue to ban at least 18 human rights defenders and NGO workers from travelling abroad, some for over six years. They include directors and staff at organizations such as the al-Nadeem Centre for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Torture, the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, and the now-closed Arab Network for Human Rights Information. Security forces have wide discretionary powers to ban individuals from travelling without judicial orders or any due process. Most of those subjected to travel bans are not even informed of any restrictions and only discover their travel bans when they attempt to board international flights.  

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On 5 April 2023, Nevine al-Kabaj, Egypt’s Minister of Social Solidarity, said NGOs that have not registered under the 2019 NGO law by 12 April 2023 risk being dissolved. Her statement ignored mounting calls from both local and international NGOs, as well as UN experts, to repeal or amend the law to ensure it complies with international standards on the right to freedom of association. Al-Kabaj also indicated that no further extensions would be granted.

“For years, the Egyptian authorities have stifled independent civil society and subjected human rights defenders to a catalogue of attacks, including arbitrary detention, politically motivated criminal prosecutions, travel bans, asset freezes, unlawful surveillance and other forms of harassment,” said Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Research and Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

“With the long-awaited ‘National Dialogue’ with the opposition due to begin on 3 May, the authorities should immediately retract their threat to dissolve unregistered NGOs. Instead, authorities should work with NGOs on establishing a legal framework that enables them to carry out their vital work without fear of reprisals and meets Egypt’s international obligations to uphold the right to freedom of association.”

The 2019 NGO law gives the authorities overbroad powers to oversee the registration, activities, funding and dissolution of NGOs. It restricts the activities of NGOs by limiting their work to “societal development”, a vaguely defined concept which could be used to effectively ban human rights work. It further prohibits NGOs from conducting research and publishing their findings without prior authorization from the government. The Arab Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), one of Egypt’s oldest human rights organizations, suspended its operations in January 2022 after 18 years, citing the repressive environment and its inability to carry out human rights work under the draconian law.

Unjust prosecutions and harassment

Over the past nine years, the Egyptian authorities have intensified their unjust prosecution and unlawful detention of NGO workers to obstruct human rights work. In the decade-long criminal investigation into the legitimate work of civil society organizations in Case 173/2011, known as the “foreign funding case”, at least 15 NGO workers remain under investigation, including Mohamed Zaree, Egypt Programme Director at the Cairo Institute of Human Rights Studies (CIHRS), Aida Seif al-Dawla, Magda Adly and Suzan Fayad from the al-Nadeem Centre for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Torture, Hossam Bahgat, director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), and Gamal Eid, director of the now-closed ANHRI. They remained banned from travelling overseas, and their assets have been frozen.

Several NGO workers also remain unjustly imprisoned for their legitimate human rights work. Mohamed Baker, founder and director of Adalah Centre for Rights and Freedoms, has been arbitrarily detained since 29 September 2019. In November 2021, he was sentenced to four years in prison following a grossly unfair trial by an emergency court on charges of “spreading false news”. The charges are related to reports by the Adalah Centre for Rights and Freedoms on detention conditions and the use of the death penalty in Egypt.

On 5 March 2023, an emergency court convicted Ezzat Ghoniem, founder of the human rights group Egyptian Coordination for Rights and Freedoms, and 29 others, on absurd charges stemming from their human rights work or peaceful dissent, and sentenced them to prison terms ranging from five years to life, following an unfair trial.

“The international community must call on the Egyptian authorities to end their repressive campaign against independent NGOs. They should urgently release the human rights defenders who are unjustly languishing in prison, quash all unfair convictions, drop Case 173 once and for all, and lift the travel bans and asset freezes inflicted on NGO workers. A vibrant civil society is essential for addressing Egypt’s economic challenges and promoting human rights,” said Philip Luther.

Background

On 5 April 2023, the Minister of Social Solidarity announced that 35,653 NGOs had registered under the 2019 NGO Law. Previously, the authorities stated that there were 52,500 civic groups in the country.

Most prominent human rights NGOs in Egypt, including those that provide pro-bono legal aid to victims of human rights violations, operate as not-for-profit companies or law firms and risk dissolution for failing to register under the 2019 NGO law. Those registered under the NGO law have consistently reported that the authorities have either delayed or refused to approve their funding and projects.

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The 14 individuals have been arbitrarily detained since 2018 and are being tried by an Emergency State Security Court (ESSC), which has involved gross violations of their right to a fair trial.

The defendants have been subjected to a litany of human rights violations, including enforced disappearance and torture or other ill-treatment. If convicted, they face prison terms ranging from five years to life behind bars.

“This politically motivated trial by an emergency court marks just the latest attempt by the Egyptian authorities to silence this group of human rights defenders, lawyers and actual or perceived state critics. These 14 individuals have been detained simply for exercising their human rights. They should be immediately released and all charges against them dropped,” said Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Research and Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

“The Egyptian authorities have not stopped at crushing the Egyptian Coordination for Rights and Freedoms, which announced its closure in the aftermath of the arrests of its founder and associates. They have instead pursued a revenge spree targeting anyone deemed to be affiliated with the group and inflicting cruelty upon cruelty against them in detention, including by denying them family visits for over four years.”

The defendants include human rights lawyer Hoda Abdelmoniem, Aisha el-Shater, the daughter of a prominent Muslim Brotherhood leader, and her husband; lawyer Mohamed Abo Horeira.

Enforced disappearances and torture

The 14 defendants have been arbitrarily detained for over four years, with most arrested in a series of raids carried out by security forces between 30 October and 1 November 2018. Amnesty International found that all have been subjected to enforced disappearance for periods of up to three months, in which time the authorities refused to reveal their whereabouts to their families.

Security forces subjected 13 of the detainees to torture or ill-treatment while held at facilities controlled by the National Security Agency (NSA), including severe beatings, electric shocks, sexual violence, and threats to sexually assault or imprison their family members. During interrogations, security officers asked many of them about their alleged affiliation to the Muslim Brotherhood and forced them to “confess” under torture.

This politically motivated trial by an emergency court marks just the latest attempt by the Egyptian authorities to silence this group of human rights defenders, lawyers and actual or perceived state critics.

Philip Luther, Amnesty International

A number of the detainees made official complaints about their enforced disappearance and torture to Supreme State Security Prosecution (SSSP) prosecutors, yet the allegations were not adequately investigated. Ibrahim Atta, one of the defendants, told prosecutors he was subjected to beatings and electric shocks, including to his testicles and tongue, suspended in contorted positions and denied food, water and access to a toilet for four days.

Even after their transfer from NSA-controlled facilities to regular prisons, the 14 defendants continued to suffer treatment that amounts to torture and other ill-treatment, such as prolonged solitary confinement. Authorities have denied them family visits throughout the duration of their detention. Only Hoda Abdelmoniem was allowed a single family visit, supervised by security agents, on one occasion in August 2022. Authorities have also deliberately denied Hoda Abdelmoniem and Aisha el-Shater access to adequate healthcare despite suffering from life-threatening conditions.

“All those suspected of being responsible for the torture and enforced disappearance of these defendants must be criminally investigated and if there is sufficient admissible evidence, prosecuted in fair trials,” said Philip Luther.

Grossly unfair trial

On 23 August 2021, the SSSP referred the 14 detainees and 17 others in their absence to trial in front of an ESSC. They were indicted on charges including joining, funding and supporting a terrorist group, in reference to the Muslim Brotherhood, labelled a terrorist organization by the Egyptian authorities.

Ezzat Ghoniem, Hoda Abdelmoniem, Aisha el-Shater, and Mohamed Abo Horeira were also charged with disseminating “false news” about human rights abuses by security forces through the Egyptian Coordination for Rights and Freedoms’ Facebook Page.

Throughout the investigation and the trial, which began on 11 September, defendants were banned from speaking to their lawyers in private. Several were interrogated by SSSP prosecutors without their lawyers present.

The court hearings were held in secret in the Badr Prison Complex, around 70 kilometres east of Cairo. Observers, members of the public and relatives of defendants were banned from the hearings. Lawyers also said they were not permitted to access their clients’ case files during the investigation. They also said that the court relied on eyewitness testimonies by NSA officers, which were accepted without adequate cross-examination, and did not allow all defendants to speak in court.

Background

Proceedings by ESSCs are activated when there is a state of emergency, the last of which ended in October 2021. The law, however, states that ongoing trials by ESSCs should continue even after the state of emergency has been lifted.

Proceedings in front of ESSCs are inherently unfair. Defendants are denied the right to appeal their convictions and sentences to a higher tribunal. Only the president retains the power to authorize, quash or commute sentences or to order a retrial.

The Egyptian Coordination for Rights and Freedoms, a group which documented enforced disappearances and the use of the death penalty, and provided legal aid to victims of human rights violations, announced the suspension of its human rights work on 1 November 2018.

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In recent years, authorities in both countries have severely repressed the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly and failed to address entrenched discrimination against religious minorities.

“The current human rights crises in India and Egypt are characterized by entrenched impunity and misuse of counterterrorism legislation to clamp down on civic space and peaceful dissent. Both countries show striking parallels in their attempts to harass and intimidate into silence all actual or perceived government critics and opponents. This unrelenting assault on human rights must end,” said Philip Luther, Middle East and North Africa Research and Advocacy Director at Amnesty International

Repression of dissent

Human rights defenders, lawyers, political opponents, peaceful protesters, academics and students, face arbitrary arrests and detention, unjust prosecutions and other forms of harassment and intimidation solely for their peaceful exercise of their human rights in both India and Egypt.

India and Egypt seem to have taken their long-standing bilateral cooperation to a different level where they share tactics to increasingly repress rights and freedoms in their respective countries.

Aakar Patel, Amnesty International

Thousands languish unjustly in Egyptian jails, including prominent Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abdel Fattah, who has spent most of the past decade behind bars. On 20 December 2021, he was sentenced to five years imprisonment over spurious charges of “spreading false news” for sharing a social media post critical of the authorities’ treatment of prisoners.

In India, 16 Bhima Koregaon activists have been arrested since 2018 on fabricated charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), a draconian anti-terror law. They have also faced an intense crackdown by the authorities for their work for marginalized communities. Eleven of them continue to languish in prison without trial while one of them, 84-year-old tribal rights activist Fr. Stan Swamy, died in detention on 5 July 2021 after being denied timely medical treatment.

Attack on press freedom

The authorities in both countries are increasingly targeting journalists, other media workers and independent media outlets, including by prosecuting them under spurious terrorism charges and using raids and office closures to harass them simply for doing their jobs. In India, the premises of independent media houses critical of the government have been raided by various government authorities. Those targeted include Newclick, Newslaundry, The Quint, Dainik Bhaskar, Greater Kashmir, Kashmir Times and Bharat Samachar.

Since 2019, Amnesty International has documented the cases of at least five journalists including Gowhar Geelani, Bilal Bhat, Rana Ayyub, Sanna Mattoo and Aakash Hassan who have been stopped from travelling outside India without any lawful justification.

Egypt remains among the top jailers of journalists in the world with at least 26 journalists currently arbitrarily detained following convictions or pending investigations into accusations of “spreading false news”, “misusing social media” and/or “terrorism”. These include 11 arrests in 2022 alone. At least 600 news, human rights and other websites remained blocked in Egypt, according to rights groups.

Crackdown on civil society

The Egyptian authorities have relied on repressive legislation and other tactics to control civic space and the human rights movement, including through a decade-long criminal investigation into the legitimate work of civil society organizations, known as Case 173/2011 or the “foreign funding case”. This politically-motivated investigation continues into at least 15 human rights defenders who are still also subjected to travel bans and asset freezes. 

Similar action has been taken in India where authorities have used the overbroad Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) against prominent national and international NGOs, including Greenpeace India and Amnesty International India. Under the same legislation, FCRA licences of 6,683 NGOs including OXFAM India, have either been cancelled or not renewed.

This unrelenting assault on human rights must end.

Philip Luther, Amnesty International

Discrimination against religious minorities

The Egyptian authorities have failed to both protect Christians from repeated sectarian attacks against their communities and bring those responsible for such violence to justice. While the 2016 law on Building and Repairing Churches has been presented by the authorities as an advancement of the rights of Christians in Egypt, in practice the law is often used to prevent Christians from worshipping by restricting their right to build or repair churches, including those damaged in sectarian attacks.

Indian authorities too have failed to prevent religious violence across the country while also perpetuating and legitimizing hate crimes and advocacy of hatred against Muslims, Christians and other minorities which have surged. Many state governments have passed laws to criminalize consensual inter-faith marriages and undertaken punitive demolitions targeting Muslim-owned properties without due process.

“India and Egypt seem to have taken their long-standing bilateral cooperation to a different level where they share tactics to increasingly repress rights and freedoms in their respective countries. As the leaders of the two countries take the centre stage, celebrations of the adoption of India’s constitution 74 years ago should not overshadow the grim reality that the human rights situations in both countries have been on a downward spiral. They must reverse course, starting by immediately and unconditionally releasing all those arbitrarily detained solely for their peaceful exercise of their human rights. They must also guarantee a safe environment for religious minorities and a reprisal-free environment for media and civil society,” said Aakar Patel, chair of board at Amnesty International India.

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Sherif, who is Egyptian-American and has lived in the United States since 2004, has posted several videos online critical of the Egyptian government. In a video posted a week before his arrest on 6 November, he called for protests during last month’s UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Egypt.

Sherif had travelled to the UAE for a visit with family, when on 6 November Emirati security forces in plain clothes arrested him from a restaurant in Dubai. They did not present an arrest warrant or explain to him or his distraught family the reasons for his arrest. He was taken away in an unmarked car. Emirati officials told his lawyer a month later that they acted in response to a request from Egypt.

Sherif’s family vacation to the UAE has turned into a nightmare following his arbitrary arrest during a family meal. For a month now, his family and lawyer have been given the run-around.

Amna Guellali, Amnesty International.

“Sherif’s family vacation to the UAE has turned into a nightmare following his arbitrary arrest during a family meal. For a month now, his family and lawyer have been given the run-around, and despite their efforts have yet to obtain any official documents confirming his arrest and detention or information on any charges he may be facing or the ‘evidence’ against him,” said Amna Guellali, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

“The UAE authorities must halt any plans to forcibly return Sherif to Egypt where he would be at real risk of torture and other ill-treatment, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, and unfair trial, due to his vocal opposition to the Egyptian government. Sending him to Egypt for expressing his views peacefully online would be a grave violation of the UAE’s obligations under international law, and send an ominous message that peaceful opponents of the Egyptian government are not safe, even outside its borders.”

The Emirati authorities did not permit Sherif to sign a power of attorney document until a month after his arrest, and still have not allowed him to meet with his lawyer. He has been allowed to speak by phone with his family and tell them he is detained at al-‘Awir prison since 8 November.

Saija Virta, his fiancée, has shared with Amnesty International her notes on the calls she has had with Sherif and the Emirati authorities and correspondence with US consular officials. She said:

“We have no documents at all from any Emirati authority. We don’t have any reason as to why he’s being detained. We have been given no reason why he hasn’t been allowed to meet with a lawyer for 32 days.”

In the lead up and during this year’s UN Climate Change Conference the Egyptian authorities arrested hundreds of people in connection to calls for protests. Demonstrations in Sharm-El-Sheikh, where COP27 was held, were heavily restricted. These latest arrests came amidst the Egyptian authorities’ unrelenting crackdown on all forms of peaceful dissent, with thousands of critics or political opponents detained arbitrarily in dire conditions.

In December next year the world’s attention will be on COP28, which will be held in Dubai, one of the UAE’s seven emirates. There are growing concerns that the UAE will repeat the restrictions on civic space and protests seen at last month’s meeting in Egypt.

“The treatment of Sherif Osman does not bode well for the next UN Climate Conference. His arrest took place during this year’s COP in the state where the next will be held, at the request of this year’s COP host country. He appears to have been detained solely for exercising his right to freedom of expression. He should be immediately and unconditionally released and the extradition case against him dropped. Emirati authorities must also commit to protecting the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly during COP28,” Amna Guellali said.

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“This was a tale of two COPs: joy at the adoption of a Loss and Damage fund but anguish that, despite overwhelming scientific evidence and escalating human rights impacts, the negotiations failed to secure vital commitments on the phasing out of all fossil fuels, which are the number one driver of the climate crisis.

“The establishment of the Loss and Damage fund was the result of a united position presented by global south countries and persistent campaigning by a wide range of groups. It sends a ray of hope to people whose human rights have been harmed by climate change. It will still be a long road before those most impacted can access real financial support but the decision sets in motion a process to redress historical injustices. Now it is up to wealthy countries to step up and ensure the fund is adequately resourced.

“However, demands from a growing number of civil society groups and others including many states to secure agreement on the phasing out of all fossil fuels did not prevail in the face of a powerful fossil fuel lobby, the blatant opposition of fossil-fuel producing countries, and the ambiguous position of some wealthy countries.

“Governments failed to commit to phase out all fossil fuels, including oil and fossil gas (so-called ‘natural gas’), restating instead the pledge from last year’s COP that they would be ‘accelerating efforts towards the phasedown of unabated coal power and phase-out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies’.

“In light of the extreme climate-driven disasters that we have witnessed in the last year, and the growing catalogue of reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and others documenting both the impacts and the causes of climate change, this failure to progress on fossil fuels represents an enormous abdication of human rights obligations and disregards the rights of all those being affected, and future generations.”

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“The Egyptian authorities have cruelly and stubbornly refused to release Alaa or even to share any information on his well-being or exact location with his family, even though his mother has for the past three days waited at the gates of Wadi al-Natrun prison in the hope of receiving a letter from him. Alaa is now being detained incommunicado after the authorities denied him access to his family and the outside world. This alarmingly increases the risk of enforced disappearance, as well as torture and other ill-treatment.

Alaa is a prisoner of conscience who should never have been detained in the first place. Yet, now, he faces a very real risk of dying in custody while his family waits in agony for news. 

Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International

“Alaa is a prisoner of conscience who should never have been detained in the first place. Yet, now, he faces a very real risk of dying in custody while his family waits in agony for news. With the eyes of the world transfixed on the glittering resort town of Sharm al-Sheikh during COP27, the plight of Alaa and his family has exposed the frightening reality of Egypt’s human rights abuses and the authorities’ total disregard for human life and their obligations under international law.

“World leaders and delegates visiting Egypt for COP27 must do everything in their power to pressure the authorities into immediately releasing Alaa and to speak out publicly that they expect nothing short of his unconditional release. The Egyptian authorities must ensure he receives adequate healthcare in line with medical ethics at a facility of his family’s choice and surrounded by his family and loved ones. The international community cannot continue with this inaction when Alaa is at risk of torture and even death. This would leave a grave reputational stain and illustrate the cost of not putting human rights at the centre of diplomacy.”

Background

Alaa Abdel Fattah, who has spent most of the past nine years unlawfully deprived of his liberty, was last arrested in September 2019. He has been denied access to consular officials since acquiring British citizenship in December 2021. 

On 20 December 2021, Alaa, human rights lawyer Mohamed Baker and blogger Mohamed Radwan “Oxygen” were convicted on bogus charges and sentenced to between four and five years in prison following a grossly unfair trial in reprisal for their activism and human rights work. 

All three are prisoners of conscience, having been solely targeted for their peaceful activism. They are among thousands arbitrarily detained in Egypt for political reasons. 

Amnesty International has consistently documented concerns over the denial of adequate healthcare in prison and interference by prison wardens and security officials in their medical assessment and care, including delays or even refusal to transfer the critically ill to hospital. Amnesty International has previously raised concerns over the independence of medical staff in Egyptian prisons, who report to the Ministry of Interior. As such, there are strong grounds to believe that decisions over his healthcare will not be made by independent medical professionals in compliance with medical ethics and free from coercion or interference by the authorities.

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“The arrest of hundreds of people merely because they were suspected of supporting the call for peaceful protests raises serious concerns over how the authorities will respond to people wishing to protest during COP27 – an essential feature of any UN climate conference. The Egyptian authorities must allow peaceful demonstrators to gather freely and refrain from using unlawful force or arbitrary arrests to deter protests,” said Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Research and Advocacy Director.

“World leaders arriving in Sharm El-Sheikh for COP27 must not be fooled by Egypt’s PR campaign. Away from the dazzling resort hotels thousands of individuals including human rights defenders, journalists, peaceful protesters and members of the political opposition continue to be detained unjustly. They must urge President Abdelfattah al-Sisi to release all those arbitrarily held for exercising their human rights. As a matter of urgency, this should include imprisoned activist Alaa Abdel Fattah, who today escalated his hunger strike to stop drinking water.”

In the lead-up to COP27, the Egyptian authorities released 766 prisoners following a decision by President al-Sisi to reactivate a Presidential Pardons Committee (PPC) in April. Yet over the same period, Amnesty International has documented the arrest of double that number; 1,540people who were questioned over the exercising of free speech and association.

In the past six months, Amnesty International has gathered data from dozens of lawyers who regularly attend interrogations and detention renewal hearings, reviewed court decisions and other official documents, and interviewed former prisoners as well as relatives of detainees.

Arrested ahead of COP27

In recent weeks, security forces have arrested and detained hundreds of people in downtown Cairo and town squares across Egyptian cities over content on their phones — a tactic often employed by police ahead of expected protests. While most were released within hours or days, some were taken to prosecutors, while others remain subject to enforced disappearance according to 11 lawyers in Cairo, Alexandria, Sharqiya and Dakahliya.

World leaders arriving in Sharm El-Sheikh for COP27 must not be fooled by Egypt’s PR campaign.

Philip Luther, Amnesty International

In September, Abdelsalam Abdelghani, 55, was arrested at his home on the outskirts of Cairo. Prosecutors questioned him about a Facebook group called “Our right”, including posts calling for protests on 11 November. The prosecutor questioned him on accusations of spreading “false news” and being “a member of a terrorist group” before ordering his detention pending an investigation.

Incarceration crisis

Egypt’s security agencies continue to use extrajudicial powers to determine which prisoners are released and have blocked the releases of thousands of prisoners arbitrarily detained solely for exercising their human rights.

Former presidential candidate and political party leader Abdelmoneim Aboulfotoh’s health is also at risk in detention. Lawyers Hoda Abdelmoniem and Mohamed Baker remain detained simply for their work defending victims of human rights violations. The authorities have largely excluded anyone believed to be a member of or affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood.

The authorities have also continued to ignore decisions to release detainees in a practise known as rotation. Since April, Egypt’s security agencies have also refused to implement judicial orders for the release of at least 60 detainees. Instead, National Security Agency (NSA) officers have taken them from prison without notifying their relatives. Many were subjected to enforced disappearance for days in which their fate and whereabouts were unknown before bringing them before prosecutors to face bogus terrorism or other national security-related charges.

Most released following the reactivation of the PPC continue to face restrictions on their expression and liberty. Seven recently released detainees told Amnesty International that the NSA ordered they remove critical content they had posted on social media or threatened to arrest them when COP27 concluded. Some who did not adhere have already been re-arrested, such as Sherif al-Roubi, an activist released in June but re-arrested in September after giving a media interview on the hardships faced by former prisoners. Others recently released remain under police surveillance, while many are arbitrarily banned from travelling.

Restrictions and protests in Sharm El-Sheikh

According to the website of the Egyptian presidency for COP27, anyone wishing to organize protests in Sharm El-Sheikh must inform the authorities 36 hours in advance and show the organizers a COP27 badge. Protests will only be allowed between 10:00-17:00 in an area far from the conference and monitored by cameras. The authorities have also limited the content of protests to climate related issues.

Amnesty International finds these measures to be unnecessary and disproportionate, aimed at restricting the ability of individuals to protest safely in a way that allows them to be seen and heard. The authorities must ensure that the notification requirement is only used to facilitate protests and does not imply an authorization, and strictly refrain from dispersing or otherwise repressing any protests that fail to meet this requirement.

Arbitrary and disproportionate measures have also been taken against Egyptians, using passes and hotel reservations to limit access to Sharm El-Sheikh, workers in Sharm El-Sheikh are also heavily restricted in their movement.

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In addition to urging meaningful, coordinated, global action addressing the climate crisis, Amnesty International is calling on world leaders to publicly demonstrate their solidarity with Egypt’s embattled civil society and put pressure on Egyptian authorities to end their years-long assault on human rights. 

No state can claim to be a credible player in addressing the climate crisis while continuing to tighten its chokehold on civil society.

Agnès Callamard, Secretary General, Amnesty International

Ahead of her visit, Agnès Callamard said:

“It is quite simple: we no longer have the luxury of time when it comes to the global climate crisis. The window to keep average global temperatures increase within 1.5°C is rapidly closing and, as it does, the world is faced with floods, droughts, and fires – leading to forced migration and famine as well as further conflict and death. COP27 is a key opportunity to reverse this course and must not be wasted in a theatre of empty promises and greenwashing.

“While action on climate change will require significant planning and coordination, the negotiations must not get bogged down in technocratic details and lose sight of the human beings on the frontlines of the climate crisis.

“Climate change is a human rights crisis and fulfilling all human rights, including the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, is key to securing a rapid and just transition to zero-carbon economies and resilient societies.

“No state can claim to be a credible player in addressing the climate crisis while continuing to tighten its chokehold on civil society. The Egyptian authorities have committed a litany of crimes under international law, including torture, unlawful killings and enforced disappearances. Nearly all independent and critical voices have been silenced in the country.”

During her time in Egypt, Agnès Callamard will call on COP27 delegates to:

• Put human rights, including labour rights and the rights of Indigenous peoples, at the centre of all COP27 negotiations and decisions.
• Protect 1.5 by reviewing and updating 2030 emissions targets to ensure they are fully aligned with the 1.5°C imperative.
• Commit to a rapid and equitable fossil fuel phase out rather than relying on carbon markets and carbon removal mechanisms.
• Create a clear plan for wealthy states to increase contributions to financing climate change mitigation and adaptation.
• Establish a financial facility to provide timely support and remedy to people and communities whose human rights have been violated as the result of loss and damage caused by the climate crisis.
• Stand in solidarity with Egyptian human rights organizations and reiterate their COP27 Petition calls to release all those arbitrarily detained and open civic space in Egypt.

Amnesty International will be closely watching the Egyptian authorities’ policing of protests as well as their treatment of, and any reprisals against, environmental activists and human rights defenders during and after COP27.The organization has sought meetings with the Egyptian authorities and requested access to prisons where thousands are being held for politically motivated reasons. Amnesty International is urging state delegates to raise human rights concerns with the Egyptian authorities in line with the demands of independent Egyptian human rights groups in this petition. 

Background

COP27 is taking place amid concerns over the Egyptian authorities and UNFCCC’ failure to accredit independent Egyptian human rights groups for COP27. Additional barriers for the meaningful participation of a wide range of stakeholders include mandatory registration processes for access to the Green Zone, unaffordable hotel prices and increased surveillance and security checks. Authorities have ordered workers without security clearance to leave the city or observe severe restrictions on movement. The recent arrests of at least 118 individuals as of 31 October in Cairo alone in connection to calls for protests during COP27 and the proliferation of random police stops and illegal phone searches for critical content serve as a grim reminder of the pervasive repression of civil society in Egypt.

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In Badr 3 Prison, located 70 kilometres to the northeast of Cairo, prisoners are held in horrific and punitive conditions comparable to or even worse than those consistently documented at Egypt’s notorious Tora Prison Complex.  Detainees shiver in cold cells with fluorescent lights switched on round the clock; CCTV cameras are trained on them at all hours; and access to basic necessities such as sufficient food, clothing and books is banned. They are denied any contact with their families or lawyers and detention renewal hearings are held online. There has been at least one death in custody since the prison was opened in mid-2022.

“The Badr Prison Complex opened to great fanfare by the authorities, as if the new facility signified an improvement to Egypt’s human rights record. Instead, prisoners are facing the same human rights violations that have repeatedly blighted older institutions, exposing the lack of a political will from the Egyptian authorities to bring an end to the human rights crisis in the country,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.

“Ahead of COP27, Egypt’s PR machine is operating on all cylinders to conceal the awful reality in the country’s jails, where prisoners held for political reasons are languishing in horrific conditions violating the absolute prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment. But no amount of PR can hide the country’s abysmal human rights record that demands real reform from the government.”

Amnesty International has gathered evidence from relatives and lawyers of prisoners held for political reasons, all of whom were transferred to Badr 3 from Tora Maximum Security 1 and 2 prisons in mid-2022. Several prisoners are being held in violation of Egyptian law, as their pretrial detention has extended beyond legal limits, while scores are detained arbitrarily following grossly unfair trials.

‘Prisoners here have no rights’

Concerns over prison conditions and access to healthcare intensified following the death in custody of El-Sayed al-Sayfi on 5 October. Al-Sayfi, who was 61 years old and had cancer prior to his arrest, died within days of being transferred to Badr 3 after a prosecutor ordered his pretrial detention. So far, there has been no independent and impartial investigation into the causes and circumstances of his death, including into reports on the lack of access to adequate healthcare in Badr 3.

The Egyptian authorities have imposed a blanket ban on family visits for all detainees in Badr 3, many of whom had already been denied family visits for over five years while held in the Tora Prison Complex. Prison staff also bar prisoners from sending letters to their families or loved ones, or even receiving them, effectively subjecting them to incommunicado detention.

No amount of PR can hide the country’s abysmal human rights record that demands real reform from the government.

Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International

Anas Beltagy, 29, has been arbitrarily detained since December 2013 despite being acquitted of all crimes in three separate criminal cases and a judicial order for his release pending investigations in a fourth case. However, the authorities never released him. Instead, he is now detained pending investigations over identical charges in relation to a fifth case. His family has been deprived of all communication with him since 2018 and all his detention renewal hearings have taken place online since his transfer to Badr 3, further blocking his family and lawyer from any access. Amnesty International calls for his immediate release as he is being held solely for his family connections; his father Mohamed al-Beltagy is a senior figure of the Muslim Brotherhood and was sentenced to death in an unfair trial.

Another detainee in Badr 3 said he was kept under constant surveillance, including during visits to the bathroom where guards taunted him for taking too long. Others said the use of constant fluorescent overhead lights affected their sleep and mental health, which directly contravenes the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners and the absolute prohibition on torture and other ill-treatment.

Prisoners often rely on their families to meet their basic needs. However, Badr 3 prison officials prevent relatives from delivering food, clothing and items for personal hygiene. One relative of a Badr 3 detainee told Amnesty International that she tried to deliver clothes, books and food to the facility, but was told by guards that such items were not permitted. When she told prison officials that prisoners have a right to receive them, they said “prisoners here have no rights”.

The lack of family visits and communication means relatives cannot be sure their loved ones even receive medicine they have delivered. Amnesty International learned that prison officials withheld medicine from at least one prisoner after accepting the delivery from his relatives.

The authorities have also established a new online system for detention renewals hearings, with detainees not physically present in the same courtroom as judges, lawyers and prosecutors. Such hearings violate fair trial rights including the rights to adequate defence and to meaningfully challenge the legality of their detention. They take place under coercive circumstances in the presence of prison guards and detainees are prevented from communicating with their lawyers, given the ban on lawyer visits to prison. Further, they expose detainees to risks of reprisals from guards for complaining about torture or other ill-treatment and impede the ability of judges to spot visible bruises or other injuries.

“The Egyptian authorities must immediately release all those arbitrarily detained.  Everyone detained in Egypt must be protected from torture and other ill-treatment, held in conditions in line with international law and standards and granted immediate access to their families and lawyers with sufficient privacy. The authorities must fully uphold fair trial rights and stop holding pretrial detention renewal hearings online,” said Agnès Callamard.

Background

The Badr and Wadi al-Natrun prison complexes were opened shortly after the authorities launched Egypt’s National Human Rights Strategy in September 2021, which hailed the authorities’ purported efforts at modernizing prisons and upholding prisoners’ dignity. In mid-2022, the authorities started relocating prisoners from the ill-reputed Tora Prison Complex into the new facilities.

COP27, the 2022 UN Climate Change Conference, will be held from 6 to 18 November in Sharm El- Sheikh.

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Tomorrow (18 October, 5:00-6:30pm*), Abd el-Fattah’s sister Sanaa Seif will stage a protest at the FCDO which will see her beginning a sit-in at the location until the Foreign Secretary agrees to meet her, or until the beginning of the COP27 climate change conference in Egypt, which is set to start on 6 November. 

The Labour shadow foreign secretary David Lammy is also expected to attend tomorrow’s protest, and Amnesty International activists will be attending the sit-in in solidarity with the family. 
 
Abd el-Fattah rose to prominence in Egypt during nationwide protests in 2011 against Hosni Mubarak’s repressive government and has been targeted by the authorities for most of the past decade. Among other things, the activist suffered torture soon after his detention in 2019. He is from a well-known Egyptian family which includes several human rights activists. His mother – Laila Soueif, a mathematics professor at Cairo University – was born in London and the family have significant ties to the UK.

Event details  

WHO: Sanaa Seif, David Lammy
 
WHAT: protest and sit-in outside FCDO, with various banners calling for release of Alaa Abd el-Fattah
 
WHERE: FCDO building, King Charles Street, London SW1A 2AH
 
WHEN: Tuesday 18 October (5:00-6:30pm), with sit-in to follow

*Note the time has been brought forward from 5:30 (which the photo above still shows) and it will now start at 5:00

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