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06.11.2010

 

                                                  Press Release

Concerning the Findings of the Human Rights Committee of the Bundestag

On the Human Rights Situation in Egypt

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-     It is with deep regret that we view the press release Issued by the Human Rights Committee of the Bundestag on 5.11.2010 titled "Menschrechtsausschuss: Schwere Menschenrechtsverletzungen in Ägypten: Oppositionelle, Journalisten, Blogger und Baha’i erheblich unter Druck", following to their 4-day visit to Egypt. We strongly deplore the content of the Press Release, which we consider to be one-sided, and therefore does not reflect the true situation in Egypt.

-     The Embassy has all along dealt with utmost transparency and openness with the Human Rights Committee of the Bundestag. The Ambassador, upon his initiative, met with the Working Group on Human Rights within the CDU/CSU Faction on 15.06.2010. The purpose of the meeting was to help the Working Group better understand the true situation in Egypt, and to rectify certain views held by some members. The Ambassador emphasized during that meeting that the government of Egypt was keen to cooperate with the Bundestag, in order to reach an objective and fair assessment of the state of affairs in Egypt.

-     The Ambassador also met some members of the Human Rights Committee of the Bundestag on 29.10.2010 before their visit to Egypt. The Ambassador informed that the timing chosen for their visit to Egypt was not opportune. It was conveyed that Parliamentary elections in Egypt were scheduled for November 28th, and therefore the Committee's counterparts in the Egyptian People's Assembly would be occupied preparing for the Elections. Moreover, relevant government officials would also be unavailable due to the same reasons. Hence it was suggested that the visit would be postponed until after the elections. The Committee was also informed that proceeding with the visit under these circumstances would not help it draw an accurate, objective and fair assessment of the situation.

-     Notwithstanding the counsel of the Embassy, the Committee decided to proceed with the visit. Therefore, the conclusions reached by the Committee came as no surprise. It is most regrettable that the Committee chose to take this position, reaching conclusions based on incomplete and inaccurate information about the situation in Egypt. It is equally surprising that the Committee chose to ignore the positive developments in the area of human rights and political freedoms that Egypt witnessed over the past few years.

-     It is our hope that the Committee will find ways to correct its position, in the interest of fairness and objectivity. The Embassy remains ready to render it all the necessary assistance in this regard.