US Government’s Diplomatic Assurances Policy

Despite evidence that he would be tortured on return, the US government seeks to deport Sameh Sami S. Khouzam to Egypt on the basis of diplomatic assurances from the Egyptian government that Khouzam will not be tortured in Egyptian custody. Human Rights Watch submitted this brief in support of Khouzam, arguing that Khouzam should be permitted to challenge the reliability of Cairo's assurances in a US court of law in conformity with his constitutional right to due process. Human Rights Watch's research strongly indicates that diplomatic assurances offered by states that routinely breach their international obligation not to practice torture are not an effective safeguard against mistreatment. The brief was co-signed by Amnesty International (London), the Center for Constitutional Rights (New York), the International Commission of Jurists (Geneva), and the International Federation for Human Rights (Paris).