Egypt’s next step: a human rights revolution | Kate Allen

Activists are clear that for Egyptians to be truly free, Mubarak’s machinery of repression must be dismantled After an inspirational show of people power in Egypt, what next for this great country? And what kind of reforms are needed to satisfy the dreams and demands of its people? Amnesty’s partners in the Egyptian human rights community are clear. The machinery of repression underpinning Hosni Mubarak’s Egypt must be dismantled. This means, to start with, lifting the dead hand of the state of emergency and repealing article 179 of the (now suspended) constitution – which gives sweeping powers of arrest to the security forces, allowing Egypt’s leader to totally bypass ordinary civilian courts and instead send people suspected of terrorist offences to military and special courts. Similarly, emergency powers allowing administrative detention of government critics must be scrapped. Only shortly before Mubarak’s departure on Friday , the Egyptian army was promising to lift the state of emergency ” as soon as current circumstances end “, and now we need to see follow-through on that with a clear public timetable. Meanwhile, Egypt’s vast, unregulated prison system needs swift reform. Throughout the last fortnight we’ve heard reports of prisoners escaping from jails, and these must be investigated, with those who had been properly convicted returned to custody. At the same time, the authorities must urgently review the cases of thousands of prisoners held in “administrative” detention without charge or trial (one of Egypt’s most shameful practices), either charging them with a recognisable criminal offence or setting them free. Meanwhile, all prisoners of conscience must be released without delay. Free speech has burst its chains in Egypt, but for the last 30 years it has been virtually impossible for peaceful protesters to assemble on the streets of Cairo, Alexandria, Port Said, Suez or anywhere else without attracting the attention of truncheon-wielding police officers. Summary arrests would follow. The empowering effect of vast numbers of people steadfastly and publicly demanding change in Egypt has won the day. But freedom of speech and association must be now be protected and legally entrenched in Egypt. In dry practical terms , this means repressive laws – for example articles 80(d), 98bis(d), 98(f), 102, 102bis, 171, 178, 179, 181, 188, 201 and 308 of the penal code, and review law 84 (the law of associations) – must be either swept way or amended in line with international standards. Other major reforms must include guaranteeing the rights of women and girls, ending legal discrimination against all religious groups, including Coptic Christians and Baha’is, and putting a stop to the persecution of gay people (including the practice of charging gay men with the “habitual practice of debauchery”). The death penalty should be abolished. Meanwhile, we mustn’t forget the blood spilt and crimes committed during Egypt’s historic 18 days of protest. Reports indicate that at least 300 people were killed and many more injured, while an as yet unknown number were ” disappeared ” into detention and, in at least some cases, tortured. When, on February 3, two of Amnesty’s staff were detained by the military in Camp 75 in the Cairo suburb of Manshiyet el-Bakri, along with 33 other human rights defenders, they could clearly hear the screams of detainees being beaten . For too long torture has been a dark stain on Egypt. We need to see credible investigations of the part played by the police, the Mukhabarat (secret police) and the army. With bravery, dignity and fortitude, Egyptians have captured the world’s attention with their popular uprising against repression, poverty and corruption. Now, at a pivotal moment in world affairs, it’s vital that leaders around the world listen very carefully to their message: that there can be no reform without human rights reform. We are living through a moment of global significance. Many in Algeria, Yemen, Jordan, Bahrain and the wider region (and indeed right across the world) are demanding exactly what Tunisians and Egyptians have demanded. At a major rally in Trafalgar Square at the weekend, thousands stood in solidarity with the people of Egypt and the greater Middle East and north Africa. They expressed their solidarity with the call for a human rights revolution and defiance of those who would suppress the right to be free. One banner on Saturday caught my eye. It read: “Bye-bye state of secret police!” Hear hear to that. Egypt Protest Middle East Human rights Kate Allen guardian.co.uk

Posted by on February 16, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry