This week, the Foreign Ministry released its second report on efforts exerted by the state to implement Egypt’s National Human Rights Strategy.

The 106-page report highlights initiatives, programmes, and projects implemented between September 2022 to August 2023 across the four pillars of the strategy which aims to improve political, civil, economic, and cultural rights, with a particular focus on the rights of women, children, disabled persons, youth, and the elderly, and spread a human rights culture among police, judges, government employees, and school students.

Ahmed Al-Baqli, assistant for human rights to the Foreign Ministry, said the National Human Rights Strategy adopted in September 2021 is based on advancing human rights through respect for and protection of all civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights stipulated by the constitution, national laws, and international and regional conventions ratified by Egypt. The first report issued by the Foreign Ministry covered the period between September 2021 and August 2022.

In terms of political and civil rights, the report notes that prosecution authorities have released 620 individuals in pretrial detention. It highlighted that based on recommendations from the Interior Ministry, in coordination with the Presidential Pardon Committee, President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi had pardoned 19,675 individuals serving prison sentences.

“Most of these were prisoners in criminal cases and were pardoned and released on religious and national occasions between September 2022 and August 2023,” noted the report.

It highlighted efforts to improve conditions in Egyptian prisons, including attempts to offer health, social, and cultural services to prisoners, as well as the Interior Ministry’s building of new rehabilitation centres in Wadi Al-Natroun, Badr, 15 May, 10 Ramadan, and Akhmim.

The report lauded the Interior Ministry for allowing representatives from the National Council for Human Rights, civil society organisations, the diplomatic corps, and MPs to pay visits and inspect conditions, as well as its investigation of complaints of torture within prisons.

“As a result, 380 police personnel have faced disciplinary action after they were found guilty of using torture and excessive force,” said the report.

The report noted the boost to political reform after the National Dialogue began in May 2023: “Representatives from different political forces attended the opening session of the National Dalogue, after which a three-month phase of sessions was held to discuss political, economic, and social reforms. At the end of the first phase in August 2023, a number of political reform recommendations were sent to the president.”

MP Talaat Abdel-Qawi told Al-Ahram Weekly that the National Dialogue had allowed different political forces to express their opinions openly and freely.

“As a result, and following request from opposition figures, many political detainees who were not involved in terrorist or violent activities were either released or pardoned,” said Abdel-Qawi.

The period covered by the report witnessed a raft of legislative amendments enhancing human rights. They include changes to laws on Egyptian Nationality, and regulations establishing the Disabled People Fund, the Egyptian Institution for Intellectual Property Rights, and the National Alliance for Civil and Developmental Work. According to the report, another batch of human rights laws are in the pipeline, including legislation on criminal procedure, personal affairs, children’s rights, and sexual harassment.

In the area of freedom of association, the report pointed out that 35,770 NGOs had been able to adjust their legal status in line with Law 149/2019 regulating the exercise of civil work, while in the first half of 2023, 137 NGOs received LE2.215 billion in foreign grants to continue their activities.

The report highlighted government cooperation, via the Ministry of Social Solidarity, with eight NGOs, the UK Embassy in Cairo, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to implement the Waai Programme for Community Development’s social protection agenda covering family planning, maternal and child health, and genital mutilation.

The report also highlighted the 2023 regulations which established the National Alliance for Civilian and Development Action which MP Talaat Abdel-Qawi, chairman of the General Federation of NGOs, said reflect the aspirations of many NGOs seeking to implement large-scale projects capable of improving the lives of millions of low-income citizens.

“Human rights are not only about freedom of expression and political reforms, but about improving the lives of citizens in social and economic terms,” said Abdel-Qawi.

The report notes that budgetary allocations to social protection programmes in Egypt in fiscal year 2022-23 reached LE529.7 billion, up from LE428.5 billion in previous year. It also reports that free elections were held in 2022 and 2023 to elect new heads for the syndicates of journalists, lawyers, doctors, and musicians.

On freedom of religion and belief, the report said the Ministry of Endowments organised a wide range of activities promoting religious tolerance and that of 5,415 requests submitted to license the construction of churches, 2,973 had been approved.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 29 August, 2024 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly