COP27: Egypt pressed to make a move on human rights before the climate summit
The human rights groups in Egypt are calling for the country to free political prisoners and open civic space before hosting the COP27 summit.
Amnesty International gave a report which says Egypt is in the throes of a human rights crisis. Human Rights Watch has said Egypt severely curtailed environmental groups' work. However, officials in Cairo said that the report is misleading.
In November, the UN Climate Change Conference is set to take place in Sharm el-Sheikh.
Effective climate action cannot occur without open civic space. So the coalition launched a petition which said, "As host of COP27, Egypt risks compromising the success of the summit if it does not urgently address ongoing arbitrary restrictions on civil society."
Freedom of expression rights is vital to encourage efforts to address the climate crisis.
In a joint statement in July, three dozen groups expressed concern that Egypt would maintain its prohibition on protests for the period of the conference, aimed at slowing climate change.
Under the president of Egypt, Abdul Fattah al-Sissi, the country has experienced a widespread crackdown on dissent. Rights groups estimate that Egypt has about 60,000 political prisoners. Many political prisoners were detained without trial.
Activists are routinely intimidated. And new laws make it almost impossible for lots of civil society groups to function.
Activists worldwide would be coming to COP, but activists from Egypt are either in jail or blocked from going. So basically, no one is safe in Egypt.
The Egyptian authorities hope to use their COP27 presidency to urge the international community to take action on pledges of support for countries that are still developing to cope with the destructive impact of climate change.
Since the uprising in 2011 that overthrew President Hosni Mubarak, Egypt has been looking to boost its stand on the world stage.
However, critics like the Egyptian human rights campaigner stand on the opinion that the government sees the event as a way to cover up its reputation.
Following interviews with scientists, activists, and academics, it said government restrictions led to human rights violations and left Egypt's ability to meet essential climate commitments in doubt.
