One year after the popular uprising in Egypt, which resulted in at least 840 Egyptians killed according to official sources and led to the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN) and the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders – a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) – along with the Tunisian League for Human Rights (Ligue Tunisienne des Droits de l’Homme – LTDH), a member organisation of EMHRN, FIDH and OMCT, conducted a fact-finding mission on the status of the right to freedom of association and the situation of civil society organisations in Egypt, which took place between February 11 and 14, 2012.
During the mission, the delegation met Egyptian human rights organisations, representatives of the Egyptian government, political parties, and members of Parliament as well as representatives of the European Union (EU), of EU Member States and other European countries, and of the United States.
The EMHRN and the Observatory found that the conditions required for the enjoyment of freedom of association and peaceful demonstration have deteriorated, and collected testimonies of violations of public freedoms and human rights. They reminded the Egyptian authorities of their responsibilities to protect rights and freedoms, and of the need to undertake a genuine process of democratic transition. They also called upon Western governments to strongly condemn all violations and to encourage the democratic reforms that were at the heart of the demands of those movements which led to the Egyptian revolution.
The economic crisis, the burden imposed by the dictatorship of President Hosni Mubarak over three decades, coupled with the example of the victorious popular uprising in Tunisia led the Egyptian people to revolt in January 2011. This resulted in the President resigning on February 11. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) subsequently took power, and promised a transition to a democratic civilian regime. The Constitution was suspended, and instead a Constitutional declaration prepared by the SCAF was adopted by referendum on March 19, 2011. The trial of former President Mubarak, his two sons and former Interior Minister Habib Al Adly began on August 3. Legislative elections were held between November 2011 and January 2012 and gave an overwhelming majority to the Islamist parties in the lower House of Parliament, with the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP – Muslim Brotherhood) obtaining 41 per cent of the votes and the Al-Nour Party (Salafi), 12 per cent.
Throughout 2011 and early 2012, however, social movements continued in the country, especially in the capital Cairo. On numerous occasions, protesters gathered to demand a democratic transition, the transfer of power to a civilian government and the end of the state of emergency and of arbitrary arrests. These demonstrations were violently crushed (see below). Large numbers of protesters, bloggers, human rights defenders and journalists were arbitrarily detained, and thousands of people were prosecuted in military tribunals.
Thus the political and social situation in Egypt remains tense one year after the revolution, and the underlying demands remain unmet. The situation of human rights and public freedoms has on the contrary deteriorated, according to several human rights organisations met during the mission.