The day before the Egyptian authorities arrested an official of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (a non-governmental civil society organization), on November 15;
All indications were that there was a breakthrough in the human rights file, following the announcement of Democratic candidate Joe Biden's victory in the US presidential elections.
Egypt sent positive messages to the world and human rights organizations early this month, with the release of hundreds of detainees.
Where an Egyptian court ruled the initial release of 461 defendants in cases of opinion, a number of whom were arrested last September, on charges of participating in anti-government demonstrations.
According to observers, the last thing the Egyptian authorities want to raise at this time is to make any mistake that defeats human rights organizations and doubles their bill of account in the future.
However, 3 prominent officials of the Egyptian initiative were arrested and imprisoned for 15 days pending investigations;
It was like a prick balloon of crises, as a wave of international criticism followed the Egyptian regime.
However, as international solidarity sheds light again on the widespread human rights violations in Egypt, it also showed "Western duplication" in dealing with prisoners of conscience, civil society organizations and human rights institutions in Egypt, according to Egyptian human rights defenders.
Hornet's nest
On November 3, the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights received ambassadors and caretakers of ambassadors from several Western countries in Cairo, and representatives of the European Commission in Cairo, to discuss ways to support the human rights situation in Egypt.
Since then, the Egyptian authorities have pursued those in charge of the Egyptian Initiative, arresting its administrative director, Mohamed Bashir, then the director of its criminal justice unit, Karim Annara, and finally its executive director, Jasser Abdel Razek, and then decisions were issued for their pretrial detention by the Supreme State Security Prosecution.
The Supreme State Security Prosecution included Bashir, Anara and Abdel Razek for Case No. 855 of 2020, and charged them, including joining a terrorist group with knowledge of its objectives, committing a crime of terrorist financing, and broadcasting false news and data.
It is the same case that includes many political activists, journalists and human rights defenders, including Muhammad al-Baqir, Amr Imam, Mahienour al-Masry, political science professor Hazem Hosni, political activist Israa Abdel Fattah, journalist Sulafa Magdy, and her husband Hussam al-Sayyad.
However, were the Egyptian authorities surprised by the international and human rights reactions condemning the targeting of the initiative's officials?
Was this tantamount to storming the "hornet's nest" that began with the outbreak of a "human rights clash" between Cairo and Paris at the level of the two foreign ministries?
Last Wednesday, the French Foreign Ministry expressed "deep concern following the arrest of the administrative director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, Mohamed Bashir," while the Egyptian Foreign Ministry responded by rejecting the French statement, and said - in a statement - "We reject the interference that the French statement contained in an Egyptian internal affair," And trying to influence the investigations that the Public Prosecution conducts with an Egyptian citizen. "
In an attempt by the Egyptian authorities to stick to their position, they arrested two other officials of the initiative.
This opened the door wide to a torrent of European and American criticism, as well as from the United Nations and international human rights organizations, calling for their release, an end to the repression, and the empowerment of all citizens to exercise their rights.
Western eclecticism
However, this broad international solidarity with the Egyptian organization sparked criticism of the former representative of the Human Rights Committee of the Egyptian Shura Council, Ezz El-Din El-Koumi, because of what he called Western selectivity in dealing with the human rights file in Egypt.
Al-Koumi stressed - in statements to Al-Jazeera Net - that there is a clear duplication in the stance of Western countries and America regarding the human rights file in Egypt, which is based on selectivity.
They act for the sake of specific detainees, human rights institutions or a specific civil society, adding, "Let us put it frankly: They do not care about Islamists or those affiliated with them, whether they are individuals or organizations."
The former parliamentarian expected that the Egyptian authorities would release all the officials arrested by the Egyptian initiative, but not now to save face. He continued, “I am not very optimistic about achieving any real breakthrough in the human rights file in Egypt, because those same countries overlooked wholesale violations since the military coup in 2013. ".
He indicated that the recent security crackdown comes within the framework of the scorched earth policy that the regime pursues with human rights institutions.
From today, I will temporarily manage the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights until the hostages' leaders are released.
What I cherish most in my life is establishing the initiative in 2002 and running it for 10 years.
I was also honored to remain chair of its board of directors as a volunteer to this day.
And now I am rejoining her talented and brave #EIPR team
- hossam bahgat (@hossambahgat) November 19, 2020
The circumstances of the targeting
Regarding the circumstances of this repressive security crackdown on the Egyptian Initiative, which has existed on the ground for 18 years, when it was established in 2002, its founder, Hossam Bahgat, says that it is being punished for its work and activities, and there is no room for the authority to claim that the issue is related to violating the NGO law.
In press statements to "Mada Masr" website, he confirmed that the three arrested leaders have not been charged with any charges or even questions related to the civil labor law, and the National Security Forces' investigations against them are limited to a list of repeated "funny" accusations, foremost of which is "belonging to a terrorist group."
In the context of the European Union condemning the arrest of officials of the initiative, the Union praised the performance of this human rights organization, and said in a statement last Saturday that it "provides important services to Egyptians by promoting rights and freedoms, as it works with complete transparency."
The arrest of members of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights is a major concern that the European Union has conveyed to the Egyptian authorities.
@EIPR provides important services to Egyptians by promoting rights and freedoms;
It works with complete transparency.
Respect for human rights is a key part of relations between 🇪🇬🇪🇺 - European Union spokesperson https://t.co/v96l38HgRF
- EU in Egypt 🇪🇺🇪🇬 (@EUinEgypt) November 21, 2020
Silence what's left
Turn;
Amr Magdy, a researcher in the Middle East and North Africa division of Human Rights Watch, warned of “the decline of the culture of human rights and civil and civil work in Egypt due to the repeated attacks on human rights workers and the continuing widespread security crackdown, which threatens the emergence of groups bearing ideas Extremist and violent future. "
In his speech to Al-Jazeera Net, the international human rights defender considered that the targeting of the Egyptian initiative and its leaders comes within a long series of trying to silence the voice of the remaining civil and human rights institutions in Egypt since 2013, and the initiative is at the heart of that systematic and dangerous campaign on civil work, which is gradually disappearing.
Magdy pointed out that the Foundation is part of the ongoing case No. 173 of 2011, known as the "foreign funding" case, and includes imposing travel bans, freezing funds, in addition to investigating judges who questioned some workers in non-governmental organizations.