(Washington, D.C.) – As Egypt prepares for its fourth Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the United Nations Human Rights Council on January 28, the Middle East Democracy Center (MEDC) and partner organizations have submitted comprehensive reports highlighting critical areas requiring immediate reform to address systemic human rights violations in the country.

The reports, submitted in July 2024, document widespread patterns of human rights abuses and call for substantial legislative and institutional changes. Key areas of concern include the misuse of vice laws to target vulnerable populations, systematic torture and ill-treatment in detention facilities, and the continued application of the death penalty.

“The Egyptian government’s track record on human rights continues to fall far short of its international obligations,” said Yasmin Omar, Director of the Democracy Matters Initiative at the Middle East Democracy Center. “This UPR presents a crucial opportunity for UN member states to hold Egypt accountable and push for meaningful reforms.”

The organizations’ key recommendations include:

Vice Law Reform

  • End discriminatory enforcement targeting women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and vulnerable groups
  • Establish clear legal standards for searches and investigations 
  • Reform laws enabling arbitrary dismissal from employment based on “moral” grounds

Detention and Torture Prevention

  • End arbitrary and incommunicado detention
  • Ensure detainee access to legal representation and medical care
  • Establish independent monitoring of detention facilities
  • Prosecute torture and ill-treatment cases
  • Reform pretrial detention system

Death Penalty Reform

  • Institute moratorium on executions
  • End mass trials
  • Review all death sentences
  • Abolish death penalty for non-lethal offenses
  • Strengthen due process protections

International Compliance

  • Ratify key international protocols
  • Allow unrestricted access for UN Special Rapporteurs
  • Implement previous UN treaty body recommendations

The organizations emphasize that these reforms are essential for Egypt to meet its international human rights obligations and ensure the protection of fundamental rights for all.

MEDC jointly submitted these reports with the following partners – Vice Laws Report: Cairo 52 Legal Research Institute (Cairo52), International Service for Human Rights (ISHR); Detention and Torture Report: Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, Committee for Justice, DIGNITY, Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms, Egyptian Front for Human Rights, Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, El Nadeem Center against Violence and Torture, REDRESS; Death Penalty Report: Reprieve, The Advocates For Human Rights, World Coalition On The Death Penalty.

For more information or to set up an interview, contact:

April Brady, Senior Communications Manager, April.Brady@mideastdc.org
Kristen McTighe, Senior Communications Manager, Kristen.McTighe@mideastdc.org