On Thursday 24 November, the European Parliament expressed its deep regret over the “continued lack of basic political rights and freedoms in Egypt”, including in the context of the holding of COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, regretting that the event did not improve the human rights situation.
In adopting the joint resolution of the S&D, Greens/EFA and Renew Europe groups (326 votes in favour, 46 against and 186 abstentions), MEPs condemned “in the strongest terms” the censorship, harassment and intimidation of Egyptian civil society representatives by the Egyptian authorities, which has taken place even on international United Nations premises, as well as the new wave of arrests and detentions in the context of COP27.
More broadly, the European Parliament strongly condemns the continued arbitrary and pre-trial detention of tens of thousands of prisoners of conscience in Egypt and calls for the immediate release of imprisoned human rights defenders, journalists and peaceful activists.
MEPs also reiterate their call for a thorough and comprehensive review of the EU’s relations with Egypt, “in light of the very limited progress on Egypt’s human rights record and of its crackdown on dissent”, and ask to consider targeted sanctions against those most responsible for the brutal repression in the country.
See the resolution: https://aeur.eu/f/48q (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)