Egypt: Human Rights Report Paints Ugly Picture

The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR) held a press conference yesterday to announce the completion of a 578-page report on torture, detention, and human rights abuse in Egypt. According to the annual report, in 2009, 12 people were tortured to death by Egyptian police; 63 cases of torture in detention occurred; 530 cases of mistreatment of prisoners were recorded; 113 people were detained arbitrarily; 20 “disappearances” occurred; the police carried out ten cases of “collective punishment” to extract information; 3 civilians were tried before military tribunals; 82 peaceful demonstrations were put down; 190 instances where freedom of expression was repressed or blocked were recorded; and 148 reporters were tried on charges of libel or spreading “rumors.” Other violations in 2009 mentioned in the report include widespread arbitrary arrests; detention of prisoners in inhumane conditions; physical and sexual harassment, and verbal humiliation of detainees. The report also documented 125 cases of death resulting from torture in the period between 2000-2009.

Hafez Abu Saada, an attorney and chairman of the EOHR, blamed the longstanding Emergency Law for the prevalence of human rights violations in Egypt. He also indicated that the report’s conclusion includes a set of demands for constitutional, legislative, and human rights policy reform, while expressing his hope that the report “will have a positive effect on the improvement of democracy and human rights situation [sic] in Egypt,” according to the organization’s website. The report comes at a time of heightened international and U.S. focus on human rights abuses in Egypt, following the death of Khalid Said last month.