{"id":14463,"date":"2025-11-06T14:54:02","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T12:54:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/?p=14463"},"modified":"2025-11-06T17:42:29","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T15:42:29","slug":"national-human-rights-strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/national-human-rights-strategy\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Years Later: Has Egypt\u2019s Human Rights Strategy Delivered Any Progress?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just days separated Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi\u2019s directive<\/a> to begin preparing a new national human rights strategy\u2014set to take effect after the current one (2021\u20132026) expires\u2014and the announcement of Egypt\u2019s<\/a> election to the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2026\u20132028 term. The developments come amid heated debate over the state of rights and freedoms in Egypt, in light of contradictory signals that continue to expose tensions in how the authorities manage this sensitive file.<\/p>\n

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In mid-October 2025<\/a>, Egypt secured 173 votes in the Human Rights Council elections\u2014its third time winning a seat, including two terms under President al-Sisi\u2019s rule. The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement<\/a>, described the victory as proof of the \u201cimportant progress\u201d achieved in recent years on human rights, highlighting the launch of the National Human Rights Strategy in 2021 and the government\u2019s regular monitoring reports tracking its implementation and measurable outcomes.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The ministry added that the president\u2019s latest directives included not only the preparation of a new national strategy, but also the development of the criminal justice system, the modernization of correctional and rehabilitation centers, the expansion of social protection programs, and the empowerment of women, youth, and persons with disabilities. It also noted that the principles of the National Human Rights Strategy have been integrated into the plans and budgets of several ministries and government agencies, alongside expanded training and capacity-building programs within state institutions.<\/p>\n

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A Review of the Fourth Report of the National Human Rights Strategy<\/h3>\n

According to the fourth<\/a> executive report issued by Egypt\u2019s Permanent Supreme Committee for Human Rights in October 2025, the state<\/a> recorded more than 50 achievements across various sectors within just one year \u2014 between September 2024 and August 2025. These ranged from healthcare, education, and social welfare to political participation and freedom of expression.<\/p>\n

The report described these developments as proof of \u201cthe political will to continue implementing the strategy launched four years ago,\u201d citing legislative amendments, presidential pardons, and social and development initiatives such as the Decent Life (Hayah Karima)<\/em> program, in addition to \u201cefforts to empower civil society.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, the \u201cpositive\u201d image presented by the official report sharply contrasts with findings from Egyptian and international human rights organizations, which document persistent challenges in the field of rights and freedoms \u2014 notably, continued restrictions on freedom of expression, prolonged pretrial detention in political cases, and a lack of transparency in implementing certain parts of the strategy.<\/p>\n

While the state<\/a> affirms that it has improved the legislative environment as part of its human rights commitments, many of these legal reforms have drawn criticism from independent rights organizations. For instance, the government hailed the new Criminal Procedure Code as \u201ca qualitative step\u201d toward reducing pretrial detention and ensuring swift justice. Yet, reports signed by rights groups and opposition parties argue that the law includes constitutional and legal violations, even after amendments made during an extraordinary parliamentary session convened at the president\u2019s request.<\/p>\n

Although President al-Sisi initially refused to ratify the law and returned it to parliament, the House of Representatives later approved it, despite the continued disagreement over several disputed articles.<\/p>\n

The campaign \u201cTowards a Fair Criminal Procedure Law<\/a>\u201d stated that its position on the amendments reflects \u201cgrowing concern that the legislation is regressing from the fundamental guarantees of justice rather than strengthening them.\u201d It added that after the parliamentary committee redrafted several articles in response to the president\u2019s comments, its final report \u201cintroduced new proposals that were passed by the House in its general session.\u201d<\/p>\n

A close reading of the report \u2014 according to legal and human rights experts consulted by the campaign \u2014 shows that some amendments represent a clear rollback from the guiding principles of the original draft, weakening protections for personal freedoms and limiting the right to defense, which constitutes one of the essential pillars of criminal justice.<\/p>\n

Other laws highlighted in the government\u2019s fourth executive report \u2014 such as Law No. 164 of 2024 on<\/a> Asylum and Labor Law No. 14 of 2025 \u2014 have also faced widespread legal and political criticism.<\/p>\n

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Despite the new Labor Law<\/a> including provisions to regulate worker\u2013employer relations and expanding leave entitlements, rights groups<\/a>, political parties, and labor researchers argue that it fails to create a fair balance between both sides, continues to restrict trade union freedoms, and provides insufficient protection mechanisms for informal workers, who make up the majority of Egypt\u2019s labor force.<\/p>\n

As for the Asylum Law, refugee-rights organizations \u2014 including the Refugees Platform in Egyp<\/a>t \u2014 contend that it lacks adequate guarantees for refugee and asylum-seeker protection, and fails to enshrine the principle of non-refoulement, thereby violating international conventions ratified by Egypt.<\/p>\n

In June 2024, Amnesty International<\/a> reported that Egyptian authorities had forcibly deported around 800 Sudanese refugees during the first quarter of the year, without granting them access to asylum procedures, legal counsel, or the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). Meanwhile, Egypt\u2019s Commission for Rights and Freedoms documented cases of sexual harassment and assault against refugee women, noting that police stations refused to register complaints or refer victims to medical authorities, and in some cases even accused them of prostitution.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Regarding the long-delayed Freedom of Information Law, the draft remains shelved despite repeated calls for its adoption. Rights organizations and the Journalists Syndicate have repeatedly urged the government to issue a law guaranteeing access to information as a cornerstone of transparency, accountability, and anti-corruption efforts, in line with Article 68 of Egypt\u2019s Constitution.<\/p>\n

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Magdy Abdel Hamid, Executive Director of the EU Project at the National Council for Human Rights, views the president\u2019s directive to prepare a second phase of the National Human Rights Strategy as a \u201cnatural and logical step\u201d \u2014 an extension of the state\u2019s policy since the strategy\u2019s launch in 2021.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Speaking to Zawia3<\/em>, Abdel Hamid says the first version of the strategy was \u201cwell written in terms of objectives and ideas,\u201d but lacked clear implementation mechanisms, timelines, and performance indicators \u2014 what he describes as \u201cthe key weakness of the first phase.\u201d<\/p>\n

He adds that the National Council for Human Rights has already begun working on a comprehensive framework for the second phase even before the presidential directive was officially issued. The Council, he explains, plans to hold a series of meetings and dialogues over the coming months with civil society actors, human rights organizations, professional associations, and academics to formulate a more practical and measurable action plan that translates broad principles into concrete, assessable programs.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Halim Henish, human rights lawyer and legal advisor at the Refugees Platform in Egypt, argues that the laws championed by the government \u2014 including the still-unratified Criminal Procedure Code, the Labor Law, and the Asylum Law \u2014 have faced \u201cwidespread criticism not only domestically but also from UN Special Rapporteurs, who believe that these legislative amendments represent a retreat from the basic guarantees of justice and rights that Egypt has pledged to uphold under its international obligations.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe Could Die in Prison\u201d: Daughter of Hoda Abdel Moneim Appeals Directly to President El-Sisi for Her Mother\u2019s Freedom<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n