Overview of Human Rights in Egypt

On September 7, 2005, President Hosni Mubarak won his fifth consecutive term in office. This election was marred by low voter turnout and charges of fraud. The election was not monitored by international observers. Mubarak's regime has not been know for placing a high priority on respect for human rights. Serious abuses continue to go unchecked in many areas.

Since 1967, there has been an almost continuous "state of emergency" in place in Egypt. Near absolute power and control of the state by the regime in power are the result of this situation. The National Democratic Party (NDP) continues to maintain governing authority.

In May 2006, the government renewed the Emergency Law (Law # 162 of 1958). This law prohibits demonstrations and public rallies thus effectively limiting the freedoms of assembly, association, and expression. The government also put back into effect the Law on Political Rights. This law introduced criminal penalties for journalists found guilty of publishing "false information" against the government.

In 2007 through 2008, civil and human rights activists  argued that media freedom in Egypt has become increasingly  limited with the arrest, trial and jailing of a newspaper editor on the basis of this controversial law.  (See "Political Conditions" for details.)

Recent terror attacks, which combined killed over 100 people, the State Security Investigation (SSI) carried out mass arrests and detentions of over 3,000 people. Of these, some 2,000 still remain in custody without charges. There is no release date in sight.

Law enforcement officials in Egypt often use torture against dissidents, but recently they expanded its use to include suspects of ‘normal’ crimes. From the 1990s through the next decade, there have been hundreds of reported cases of torture, of which 120 resulted in the death of the suspect. In the vast majority of cases, the authorities did not even try to conduct prompt, impartial investigations into the crime. Many who perpetrated these acts were not brought to court, let alone justice.

Homeless or truant children are often arrested by law enforcement for arbitrary reasons. While in custody, many are physically and/or sexually abused. They are also denied the right to food, bedding and medical treatment. Those who perpetrate these acts are not sanctioned for their actions.

Human Development Index (HDI) Rank:

111th out of 177

Note: Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite index that measures the level of well-being of nations in the world. It uses factors such as poverty, literacy, life-expectancy, education, gross domestic product, and purchasing power parity to assess the average achievements in each nation. It has been used in the United Nation’s Human Development Report since 1993.