A coalition of 34 human rights organizations has urged the Egyptian government to immediately lift the travel bans and asset freezes imposed on three prominent directors of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), a leading human rights organization in Egypt. The restrictions were initially imposed in December 2020, just days after Gasser Abdel Razek, Mohamed Bashir, and Karim Ennarah were released from detention.
Background: Unfounded Charges and Continued Repression
The three directors had been arrested in November 2020 on charges related to terrorism, widely viewed as politically motivated and connected to their legitimate human rights work. Their arrest sparked a significant international outcry, with critics accusing the Egyptian authorities of stifling dissent and persecuting human rights defenders.
Despite being released from detention, the travel bans and asset freezes remain in place, preventing the three from leaving Egypt or accessing their personal assets. According to the coalition, these measures were imposed “solely for their legitimate human rights work” and have not been justified by any credible evidence.
The restrictions have drawn widespread condemnation from international human rights bodies, who have called for their immediate removal. The EIPR and the coalition of rights organizations argue that the Egyptian government has failed to produce any evidence supporting the terrorism-related charges and that these measures are part of a broader pattern of judicial harassment.
Violations of Egyptian Law
The EIPR has further criticized the government’s actions, stating that Egyptian law has been violated in relation to these sanctions. Under Egyptian law, asset seizures must be reviewed every three months, and travel bans imposed by judicial authorities should expire after three years. However, both of these provisions have been ignored by the Egyptian authorities, signaling a deliberate disregard for the rule of law and a continued effort to suppress dissent.
The EIPR has also pointed out that the government’s actions undermine Egypt’s commitment to the rule of law, as the travel bans and asset freezes are maintained without any legal or judicial justification. This has led to growing concern that the Egyptian authorities are increasingly using the judicial system as a tool of repression against human rights defenders.
Broader Crackdown on Dissent
The restrictions on the EIPR directors are part of a larger crackdown on civil society and dissent in Egypt. In recent months, the government has been intensifying its efforts to stifle opposition, particularly in the context of mounting economic pressures. In July 2024, Amnesty International reported the arrest of 119 individuals during anti-government protests sparked by economic hardships, including widespread electricity shortages. Many of those arrested were charged with vague accusations such as “spreading false news” or “joining a terrorist group,” reflecting the government’s use of broad, undefined security laws to silence critics.
Human rights groups have raised concerns that these charges are politically motivated and used to target anyone who voices opposition to the government’s policies. The arrests of EIPR’s human rights lawyers were included in these figures, illustrating how even those advocating for legal and human rights reforms are at risk of being criminalized.
UN Human Rights Council’s Upcoming Review
The call to lift the travel bans and asset freezes comes ahead of Egypt’s upcoming Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in January 2025. During this review, Egypt’s human rights record will be examined, and rights groups are urging member states to press the Egyptian government on its treatment of human rights defenders, including the lifting of sanctions on the EIPR directors.
Rights organizations are calling on the international community to hold the Egyptian government accountable for its continued repression of civil society and its violation of both national and international human rights standards.
Conclusion: Pressing for Accountability
The coalition’s statement represents an ongoing effort to ensure accountability for human rights violations in Egypt, especially with the UN’s UPR process approaching. It is clear that the Egyptian authorities’ treatment of human rights defenders like those at EIPR is part of a wider effort to quash any form of dissent or opposition, creating a climate of fear and repression.
The international community, particularly UN member states, has an important opportunity in January 2025 to push Egypt to respect its obligations under international human rights law. By demanding the immediate lifting of these unjust travel bans and asset freezes, the global community can help secure basic freedoms for Egyptian human rights defenders, including the EIPR leadership.
