• Egypt: Military Impunity for Violence Against Women
    Press release
    Apr 7, 2012
    The March 11 acquittal of the only military officer charged in the “virginity tests” trial is a blow for any hopes of accountability for the abuses women have experienced at the hands of the Egyptian military over the past year. The military has failed to investigate and punish credible claims of other instances of violence by its members against women, including the beating and torture of women demonstrators by military officers on March 9 and December 16, 2011.
  • Egypt: Children on Trial
    Press release
    Mar 27, 2012
    Egypt’s military courts have investigated or tried at least 43 children over the past year,including the pending trial of 16-year-old Ahmed Hamdy Abdel Aziz in connection with the Port Said football riots.
  • Statement at the Human Rights Council on the human rights situation in Egypt
    Oral statement
    Mar 13, 2012

    Since assuming power, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) of Egypt has failed to address several serious human rights problems in the country, and in many cases has exacerbated them.  

  • Egypt: Drop Charges in Non-Profit Group Cases
    Press release
    Mar 7, 2012
    The Egyptian authorities should drop the charges against 43 workers with nongovernmental organizations who are charged with operating “unlicensed” groups under a repressive law.
  • Egypt: A Year of Attacks on Free Expression
    Press release
    Feb 11, 2012
    The climate for free expression in Egypt has worsened since Hosni Mubarak was ousted a year ago. Egypt’s ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) should act to end assaults on journalists by security forces. It should cease prosecutions based on laws violating media freedoms, and the country’s newly elected parliament should promptly repeal those laws.
  • Egypt: Rights Activists at Risk of Prison
    Press release
    Feb 5, 2012
    Egyptian authorities should drop all charges against unregistered nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and stop the criminal investigation of such groups. Authorities should not take action against NGOs until Egypt’s new parliament proposes legislation consistent with international legal standards, Human Rights Watch said. The organizations under investigation are not registered under the Mubarak-era Associations Law, in many cases because the government failed to respond to their requests to register.
  • No Joy in Egypt
    Commentary
    Jan 25, 2012

    As Egypt marks the first anniversary of the Jan. 25 civilian revolt that eventually toppled the 30-year rule of Hosni Mubarak, there's no agreement – on how to celebrate or even whether rejoicing is in order.

  • Egypt: Exceptions to Ending Emergency Law Invite Abuse
    Press release
    Jan 24, 2012

    The Egyptian military’s announcement on January 24, 2012, that it will lift the state of emergency except in cases of “thuggery” is an invitation to continued abuse, Alkarama and Human Rights Watch said today. The two rights groups said that the government should use the regular penal code and civilian criminal courts to address alleged criminal activity. It should also repeal Law 34, which criminalizes participation in strikes during a state of emergency.

  • Egypt: Dismantle Tools of Repression
    Press release
    Jan 16, 2012
    Egypt’s newly elected parliament should urgently reform the arsenal of laws used by the Mubarak government to restrict freedoms, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today outlining priority areas for legislative and institutional reform. These laws were used to curb free expression and criticism of government, limit association and assembly, detain people indefinitely without charge, and shield an abusive police force from accountability.
  • Egypt: National and International Human Rights Organizations are Under Attack
    Press release
    Dec 29, 2011
    The undersigned organizations are deeply concerned about reports of attacks against NGOs in Egypt. Egyptian security forces, in uniform and in civilian clothes, as well as public prosecutors, are reported to have stormed the offices of six NGOs this Thursday 29 December 2011: the Arab Center for Independence of Justice and Legal Professions (ACIJP) the Budgetary and Human Rights Observatory, Future Centre for Judicial Studies, the Cairo and Assuit offices of the National Democratic Institute (NDI), the International Republic Institute (IRI), and Freedom House. Egyptian public TV and radio stations announced later on the same day that security forces have raided the offices of 17 organizations, mostly human rights organizations. However, none of the news sources have identified these organizations or the reasons behind storming their offices.