(New York) -- Embracing Egypt as a close ally despite its poor human rights record could be even more counter-productive after September 11 than it was before, Human Rights Watch warned today.
In releasing a backgrounder on human rights abuse in Egypt, Human Rights Watch said that top Egyptian officials appear to be counting on the U.S. administration to overlook widespread torture, wholesale jailing of critics, and other forms of repression, as it builds a coalition to respond to the September 11 attacks.
"If the U.S. ignores Egypt's human rights problems, that will not have a moderating effect on people in the region who are hostile to U.S. policies," said Joe Stork, Washington director of the Middle East and North Africa division of Human Rights Watch. "Many people in the Arab world already find Washington's human rights policies to be totally cynical. A closer alliance with the Egyptian government will not persuade them otherwise."
Some 23,000 U.S. troops are embarking this week on long-planned military exercises in Egypt, code-named Operation Bright Star.
The Human Rights Watch backgrounder examines how more than two decades of emergency rule have stifled peaceful critics of the Egyptian government as well as those who advocate violence. Torture is widespread in Egypt, and basic liberties such as freedom of association and freedom of speech are sharply restricted. While Egypt could technically be called a democracy, the government frequently throws opposition candidates and their supporters in jail during elections.
The backgrounder also examines Egypt’s confrontations with Islamist political groups in the 1980s and 1990s, including al-Gihad, which is reportedly tied to Osama bin Laden.
