Ahead of COP27, Open Civic Space and Release Everyone Arbitrarily Detained in Egypt

In the run up to the UN Climate Change Conference 2022 (COP27) taking place in Egypt’s resort town of Sharm El Sheikh from 7 to18 November 2022, the undersigned organizations, groups and individuals note with great concern the human rights situation in Egypt and in particular the government’s restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, which risk to undermine a successful, inclusive and participatory climate summit.

Advancing climate justice demands an inclusive, holistic approach to environmental policy that embeds human rights and tackles systemic problems, including historically rooted social injustices, ecological destruction, abuses by businesses, corruption and impunity, and social and economic inequality. The strongest voices across the world pushing back against these systemic problems, and in favor of more meaningful and ambitious climate action, have come from civil society.

We voice our support to the call made by the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association: that the work of civil society be recognized, publicly and at the highest levels, as essential to the advancement of climate action and just transition. Moreover, we stress the importance of the right to freedom of expression and independent reporting to foster efforts to address the climate crisis.

We emphasize that effective climate action is not possible without open civic space. As host of COP27, Egypt risks compromising the success of the summit if it does not urgently address ongoing arbitrary restrictions on civil society.

We call on Egypt to ensure that civil society organizations, activists, and communities can meaningfully participate in all discussions and activities on climate and just-transition policy development and implementation at all levels of decision-making without fear of reprisals. Authorities must put in place transparent and inclusive processes to ensure that everyone, including women, Indigenous peoples and local communities, workers, youth, children, persons with disabilities, and other groups facing

marginalization or discrimination, is provided with equal opportunities to effectively participate in climate decision-making.

We also call on Egypt to end the prosecutions of civil society activists and organizations and guarantee space for civil society—including human rights defenders—to work without fear of intimidation, harassment, arrest, detention, or any other form of reprisal, including by releasing of unjustly jailed human rights defenders, lifting arbitrarily travel bans and asset freezes and closing all politically-motivated cases against activists targeted for their human rights work.

Access to information is central to effective participation. To this end, we call on the Egyptian authorities to immediately end the arbitrarily blocking of websites and ensure access inside the country to the hundreds of independent media, human rights organizations and other blocked websites. We also call for the immediate release of all journalists who have been imprisoned solely for doing their job, and an end to restrictions on media and digital spheres.

We recognize that a select number of journalists, human rights defenders, and other individuals who had been arbitrarily detained were conditionally released in recent months. We urge the Egyptian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all those held simply for peacefully exercising their human rights, implementing criteria set by local NGOs for these releases: fairness, transparency, inclusiveness, and urgency.

Preparations for COP27 are taking place against the backdrop of an ongoing and deep-rooted human rights crisis in Egypt. The Egyptian authorities have for years employed draconian laws, including laws on counter terrorism, cyber crimes, and civil society, to stifle all forms of peaceful dissent and shut down civic space. We note that, under the current government of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, thousands continue to be arbitrarily detained without a legal basis, following grossly unfair trials, or solely for peacefully exercising their human rights. Thousands are held in prolonged per-trial detention on the basis of spurious terrorism and national security accusations. Among those arbitrarily detained are dozens of journalists targeted for their media work, social media users punished for sharing critical online content, women convicted on morality-related charges for making Tik Tok videos, and members of religious minorities accused of blasphemy.

Prisoners are held in detention conditions that violate the absolute prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment, and since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi came to power hundreds have died in custody amid reports of denial of healthcare and other abuse. Egypt remains one of the world’s top executioners, executing 107 in 2020 to 83 in 2021, with at least 356 people sentenced to death in 2021, many following grossly unfair trials including by emergency courts. The crisis of impunity has emboldened Egyptian security forces to carry out extra-judicial executions and other unlawful killing, enforced disappearances and torture with no fear of consequences.

The Egyptian authorities must take meaningful steps to address the human rights crisis, including by lifting restrictions of civic space and ending their crackdown on peaceful dissent.

Led by:

1. Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE)
2. Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)
3. Committee for Justice (CFJ)
4. Egyptian Front for Human Rights (EFHR)
5. Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR)
6. Egypt Wide for Human Rights
7. El Nadeem Center Against Violence and Torture
8. Refugees Platform in Egypt (RPE)
9. Sinai Foundation for Human Rights
10. The Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF)
11. The Freedom Initiative (FI)
12. Egyptian Human Rights Forum

Supported by:

Organizations/groups:

1. 350 Aotearoa
2. AAA Accountancy UK
3. AbibiNsroma Foundation ANF
4. Access Now
5. Aid/Watch
6. Amnesty International
7. Arab Network for Knowledge about Human rights
8. Arayara.org
9. Asia Pacific Network of Environment Defenders
10. ASSOCIATION DES AMIS DE LA NATURE AAN
11. Association des jeunes pour le développement du Ouaddai
12. Avli Initiative
13. BankTrack
14. CADIRE CAMEROON ASSOCIATION
15. CAN Latin America
16. CAN Tanzania
17. CAN-Japan
18. Center for Environmental Concerns – Philippines Inc.
19. Center for International Environmental Law
20. Centre for Citizens Conserving Environment & Management (CECIC)
21. Climate & Sustainability
22. Climate Justice Alliance
23. CNCD-11.11.11
24. Coal Action Network Aotearoa
25. Coalition Marocaine pour la Justice Climatique (CMJC)
26. CODEPINK
27. Collectif Sénégalais des Africaines pour la Promotion de l’Éducation Relative à l’Environnement ( COSAPERE)
28. Commission on Environment and Climate Justice – International League of Peoples’ Struggle
29. Coordination des Associations et des Particuliers pour la Liberté de Conscience
30. Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN)
31. DIGNITY – Danish Institute Against Torture
32. Eastbourne Solidarity
33. EcoEquity
34. Ecologistas en Acción
35. Egyptian Americans For Justice
36. Emonyo Yefwe International
37. Environmental conflict mediation and Women Development
38. Environmental Justice Foundation
39. Equidad de Genero: Ciudadanía, Trabajo y Familia
40. Fastenaktion
41. Finnish Development NGOs – Fingo
42. FOKUS – Forum for Women and Development
43. FORUM DES ENGAGES POUR LE DÉVELOPPEMENT DURABLE
44. Forum des Jeunes
45. Franciscan Action Network
46. Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland
47. Friends of the Earth Germany/ BUND
48. Friends of the Earth Scotland
49. G.R.A.M.E.D
50. GAIA – Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives
51. Gastivists Collective
52. GenderCC-Women for Climate Justice e.V.
53. Global Justice Now
54. Heinrich Boell Foundation
55. Human Rights Without Frontiers
56. HuMENA for Human Rights and Civic Engagement
57. ILPS Commission 10
58. Indigenous Peoples’ Organisation-Australia
59. International Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self-Determination and Liberation (IPMSDL)
60. International Peace Bureau
61. International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)
62. Kabataan para sa Tribung Pilipino (Katribu Youth)
63. Karamoja Go Green
64. Klima Action Malaysia (KAMY)
65. Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation
66. Ligue pour la solidarité congolaise
67. Liverpool City Region Climate Justice Coalition
68. Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
69. Merdeka West Papua Support Network
70. Migrante International
71. Minority Rights Group International
72. Mom Loves Taiwan Association
73. NAJU (Youth Association for the Protection of Nature)
74. NDEO
75. NEW HOPE FOR THE POOR
76. North-East Affected Area Development Society (NEADS)
77. Observatório do Clima
78. Observatory for the Protection of the Environment and Historical Monument
79. Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania
80. Protection International
81. Reacción Climática
82. Saharawi Active Youth
83. Sankalpa Darchula Nepal, South Asia
84. SERUNI
85. Sisters of Charity Federation
86. Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill
87. Somali Youth Development Foundation (SYDF)
88. Sukaar Welfare Organization
89. The Green Youth Movement (DGUB) (Denmark)
90. The Resilient40
91. The SANE Collective
92. Tipping Point UK
93. Transnational Institute
94. Tulele Peisa Inc
95. UNISC International
96. US Committe to End Political Repression in Egypt
97. Vikas Adhyayan Kendra
98. War on Want
99. Water Justice and Gender
100. Women Engage for a Common Future
101. World Friends for Africa Burkina Faso/ Membership Organiser at CAN West and Central Africa
102. World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) in the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
103. Yorkshire and the Humber Climate Justice Coalition
104. Youth for Development and Human Rights Advancement

Individuals:  

1. Ahti Tolvanen 
2. Akouete FOLLY QUMEGAWU 
3. Alia Hammad 
4. Andreas Moesch 
5. Aurelie Buytaert 
6. Basila Maya 
7. Bed Awa-ao 
8. Bernard Barré 
9. Beverley Binfield  
10. Beverly L. Longid  
11. Billon 
12. Bjørn Olav Utvik 
13. Carmen fulco  
14. Céline Lebrun Shaath 
15. Cesar Bollecer Jr 
16. Chanchana  
17. Chris  Preston 
18. Chris Vrettos 
19. Christiane Hildebrandt 
20. Christina Maria Cecilia M. Sayson 
21. Christine-Anne 
22. corinna baudisch 
23. Daniel Leclerc 
24. David Jesero 
25. David Robertson  
26. Dayoon Kim 
27. Dr Oye Ideki 
28. Elle Glenny 
29. Elondra Eichenberger  
30. Francesca Biancani  
31. Francesco Correale
32. G. Andrea Teti
33. Gabriele Köhler 
34. Geoffrey Mock 
35. Gine Zwart 
36. Hendrik Voss 
37. Isabelle Sain 
38. Ivan Hortal Sánchez 
39. Jeremy Adeba  
40. John Chalcraft  
41. Jorge Martínez 
42. Josh Hughes 
43. Julia Horn 
44. Julian Hirschmann 
45. Kerstin Doerenbruch 
46. Komla Bassah 
47. Lenka Hélová 
48. Lin Patterson 
49. Lorena Cotza 
50. Lydia Darby 
51. Mamadou SYLLA  
52. Mamta Lukram 
53. Manuel Leick-Jonard 
54. Mariam TOURE KEITA 
55. Marie Lecocq 
56. Mario Caffera 
57. Mark Doran  
58. martin mantxo 
59. Martin Vilela 
60. Mehdy BELABBAS 
61. Melony 
62. Mia Bradić 
63. Michael Barkley 
64. Michael Ineichen 
65. Michael Taylor 
66. Michel Vanhoorne 
67. Mounir Satouri 
68. Narasimha Reddy Donthi 
69. Natalie Rivas 
70. Natasha 
71. Ndivile Mokoena 
72. nelia lauper 
73. Rachel Allen 
74. Ramy Shaath 
75. Rosa van Driel 
76. Roshan Lal 
77. Salma El Hosseiny 
78. sarah sakouti 
79. Shaimaa Elbanna 
80. Shaon Zeiler 
81. Shima 
82. Simone Lennerz 
83. Sofie Bech Larsen 
84. Sophie Maziane 
85. Stephen Crozier 
86. Steve Ongerth 
87. Ted Swedenburg 
88. Veena Balakrishnan 
89. Yazan Badran 
90. Yohei Takata 
91. Christa Salamandra 
92. Esha Shah 
93. Hugo Alan 
94. John Schaefer 
95. Ron Smith 
96. Sandra Carter 

Read the full list of signatories here. This petition is open for endorsements by organizations, groups and individuals until COP27 in November 2022 and will be updated on the Egyptian human rights coalition on COP27 website.