Egypt Activities

October 14th – 17th 2018

 Initial Summary

 

 

  1. Seminar

 

I.I. Opening session

The Seminar was held under the name of “Roundtable for Experts”, in Oct 14th in Cairo, 30 participants, including CSOs, NHRI, Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Legal Affairs and Social Solidarity, Public Prosecutor’s Office, MPs and Parliament Researchers.

Opening speeches were given by AOHR, EOHR, NCHR, MP, Public Prosecutor representative, MOFA Human Rights Sector representative.

The opening session was extraordinary through an open discussion and debate on death penalty impacts, constitutional obligations, legislative amendments, criminal procedures, strengthening measures against torture, visits to detention centers, treating allegations of involuntary disappearance. The Media was allowed to attend the opening session.

The opening debates allowed exchanging information on new measures, such as:

  • MOFA representative debated the criticism of the AOHR SG on death penalty, based on the CCPR
  • Rather this debate, a unique consensus came out on the need to revise the penal code of 1937, especially the AOHR call to revise the heavy number of articles leading to the death penalty sentences, as well as the need to strengthen the sentences against torture perpetrators to enrich the good trends of accountability in the last 4 years
  • Public Prosecutor representative informed the roundtable of regular and sudden inspection on detention centers
  • Public Prosecutor representative informed the roundtable of a new investigation mechanism on the allegations of involuntary disappearances
  • Public Prosecutor representative informed the roundtable that the newly established Prosecutor HR department has treated approx. 500 complaints of HR violations in the last 11 months
  • Public Prosecutor representative informed the roundtable that the Prosecutor has decided to adopt all the recommendations of the roundtable
  • EOHR president informed the roundtable of the latest NCHR visit to prison the week before, which he was part of it
  • A unique general consensus among all participants on the need to revise the law of association
  • An additional consensus was clear among all participants that human rights issues has became a state priority for the fiest time in 7 years, and all parties has to benefit of the new positive political well
  • From the beginning, the AOHR team stressed a second larger seminar would take place in a couple of months to further discuss the issues with a larger number of stakeholders, in addition to presenting specific legislative amendments in various criminal law legislation

 

I.II. Seminar Work Program

– Opening session

– Working session I: Criminal Justice and the Prospects of Legislative Modernization – Penal Code and Criminal Procedures Act

– Working session II: Bringing National Legislation in conformity with the International Standards: Opportunities and Challenges

 

 

  1. Training Course

The training course was implemented under the name of “Technical Workshop”, 30 participants has attended, taking into consideration that 9 participants hasn’t been able to participate the full time.

The work program included:

  • Day I: International Principles and National Guarantees

I.I. Criminal Justice in the context of the International Obligations

I.II. Criminal Treatment for Special Groups

I.III. Criminal Justice and Constitutional Guarantees

 

  • Day II

II.I. Penal Code: Punitive Philosophy

II.II. Death Penalty and Deterrence in confronting the Most Severe Crimes

II.III. Strengthening the fight against Torture Crimes

 

  • Day III

III.I. Comprehensive Legislative Modernization: Filling the Gaps

III.II. Social and Economic Backgrounds: the Modernization Motivates

III.III. Open Discussion: presenting Working Groups’ recommendations

 

 

  • Participants

House of Representatives

  1. Manal Maher – MP (HR commission) * *
  2. Aly Badr – MP (HR commission) *
  3. Amr Tarek Abdel-Samia’ – Researcher (Parliament Secretariat)
  4. Reda Abdel-Sattar – Researcher (Parliament Secretariat)
  5. Gamila Ibrahim Nayel – Researcher (HR commission secretariat)

Public Prosecutor’s Office

  1. Hany Georgy – Judge (President of the HR Department – Personal representative of the Public Prosecutor) *
  2. Mohamed Abdel-Rahman – Chief Public Attorney *
  3. Mohamed Diaa-Eddin – Chief Public Attorney *
  4. Ahmed Saber Arab – Public Attorney Deputy
  5. Mohamed Al-Sa’dy – Public Attorney Deputy

 

National Council for Human Rights

  1. Mohsen Awad – Member (HR Activist) *
  2. Ahmed Abul-Wafaa – Member (Law Professour) *
  3. Khaled Maarouf – Researcher (Deputy Director of the Complaints Department) *

 

Government

  1. Mohamed Mounir Lotfy – Ambassador / MOFA *
  2. Mohamed Mahemoud Barakat (Judge) – Advisor to Minister of Legal Affairs
  3. Mohamed Mahemoud Ibrahim (PHD) – Advisor to Minister of Social Solidarity *

 

 

CSOs

  1. Hafez Abu-Seada – Egyptian Organization for Human Rights * *
  2. Mahemoud Kandil (Expert) *
  3. Emad El-Fekky (Dean of the Faculty of Law – Al-Sadat University) * *
  4. Essam Shiha – Egyptian Organization for Human Rights * *
  5. Moataz Osman (Lawyer) – former HR expert with the Arab League of States *
  6. Karam Khamis (Social Scientist) * *
  7. Tarek Zaghloul – Egyptian Organization for Human Rights
  8. Islam Abd-Rabu – Researcher
  9. Moniet Samy – Researcher
  10. Mohamed Rady – AOHR
  11. Fatma Farghaly – AOHR
  12. Yasmine Yehia – AOHR
  13. Doaa Soliman – AOHR
  14. Eslam Abul-Enein – AOHR
  15. Ahmed Reda – AOHR *
  16. Alaa Shalaby – AOHR * *

 

  1. Materials

All participants has received a medium suitcase with documents and background materials, included:

  1. Book: Death Penalty in Egypt Legislation (AOHR 2012)
  2. Concluding Statement of the May 2017 workshop
  3. Brief and Agenda of the activities
  4. The project pershore
  5. International Standards through Electronic Versions flash memory (flash memory), UDHR – CCPR – International related treaties – Handbook on international obligations of Prisons guards – training manual for Prisons guards – Parliamentarians manual on human rights – human rights: questions and answers – human rights manual for judges and prosecutors – human rights training manual for law enforcement – CCPR general comment 32 – CCPR general comment 34 – along with a group of the guiding principles for officials in the field of justice

* * *