Ahead of the twenty-seventh world climate conference, which it intends to make a political and diplomatic success, Egypt has sought to smooth its image. But criticism persists: international human rights organizations denounce a record ” overwhelming “ in respect of violations of rights, « obstacles » to the participation of Egyptian civil society and additional international dubbing at little cost to the authorities.
In April, the power of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sissi, who governs Egypt with an iron fist, announced a national dialogue, before proceeding to the release of political prisoners. This also responded to internal considerations: letting go of a little ballast while the economic deterioration raises fears of serious social tensions.
But in the eyes of civil society, relaxation is still awaited. “The arrests continued and in October the flying checkpoints, with searches of the phone, increasedexplains Mohamed Lotfy, director of the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms. Calls to demonstrate on November 11, at the time of the COP, appeared on social networks, but the government wants everything to be under control in the streets. » Demonstrations have been banned in Egypt since 2013. The Egyptian news site Mada Masr claimed on 1is November that at least 150 people remained in detention after being arrested in different towns during security operations coinciding with calls to protest.
“Highly Sensitive Subject”
The hosting of COP27 fell de facto to the African continent. For Egypt, “oorganizing such an event gives the image of a strong regime, supported by the international community, which can pose as a defender of the climatedeciphers an Egyptian media source. The press has been giving a lot of space to the event for several months. It is necessary to talk about it. And approach the subject from a positive angle: talk about the newly planted trees, not the cut ones…”
Egyptian journalists and NGO workers had to “apply” to participate in the conference, according to a process “little transparent”, says the same source. Environmental activists measure that their “subject is ultrasensitive at the moment”said one of them.
The international community is usually timid on the human rights file in Egypt. Its approach has not changed ahead of the COP
Sharm El-Sheikh is a favorite venue for national or international conferences, surrounded by tight security measures. “It makes sense for the COP to take place there. But this cuts the population of the capital off from this summit: when important events take place in Cairo, they at least see the preparations for them. In addition, hotel prices are prohibitive for many Egyptian NGOs and journalists”summarizes the media source.
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