Nabeel elAraby

35 civil society organizations ask the Arab League Secretary General to discuss the situation in Egypt during the coming Ministerial Council

In League of Arab States by CIHRS

Your Excellency, Dr. Nabil El Araby

Secretary General, League of Arab States

Ahead of the upcoming Ministerial Council of the League on September 3rd, 2013 we the undersigned, representing 35 NGOs and networks from 13 countries, urge the Secretary General of the League of Arab States (LAS) to put forward the current alarming situation in Egypt as a priority of discussion on the agenda of the Council.

In light of the events over the last weeks in Egypt and the ongoing violence by state security forces and supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood and the growing human rights violations, which lead to the death of over 1,000 individuals in addition to thousands of injured as well as the damage caused to dozens of private property and state institutions, we call on the LAS to take an active role in addressing the situation in uttermost urgency.

We note the steps taken by other international and regional institutions, namely the United Nations and the African Union, on the situation in Egypt, while the political bodies of the LAS have remained silent. The United Nations has moved on multiple levels (through continual statements issued by the Secretary General, sending a special delegation headed by the Assistant to the Secretary General for Political Affairs, and a request by the High Commissioner for Human Rights to allow a delegation to visit Egypt to evaluate the current human rights crisis). Moreover, the African Union also established the AU High-Level Panel on Egypt which has visited Egypt twice for the same purpose.

We reiterate the call made by 22 Arab NGOs on 29 August 2013 for a thorough, independent and impartial fact finding mission under the auspices of LAS, as a neutral body, into the events, especially in the light of conflicting claims by the various parties and the growing incitement to violence rhetoric deployed by all sides, to guarantee that the truth is found and that necessary measures are taken to ensure accountability for human rights violations and to stop any further escalation to the situation which may put Egyptians at further risks to their lives, property, livelihood and security.

Signatory organizations:  
  1. Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
  2. Al-Khatim Adlan Centre for Enlightenment & Human Development, Sudan
  3. Appropriate Communications Techniques for Development, Egypt
  4. Arab Network for Human Rights Information
  5. Arab NGO Network for Development
  6. Arab Penal Reform Organization
  7. Association Jeunes pour Jeunes morocco
  8. Bahrain Human Rights Society
  9. Bahrain Transparency Society
  10. Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights
  11. Centre De Tunis Pour Liberte De La Presse
  12. Committee for the Respect of Liberties and Human Rights, Tunisia
  13. Euro Mediterranean Human Rights Network
  14. Group for Human Rights Legal Assistance, Egypt
  15. Human Rights and Democracy Media Center (Shams), Palestine
  16. Human Rights First Society, Saudi Arabia
  17. Human Rights Information  and Training Center, Yemen
  18.  International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
  19. Iraqi Election Information Network
  20. L’Association Adala (Justice), Morocco
  21. Lawyers for Justice in Libya
  22. Libyan Transparency Association
  23. Moroccan Instance of Human Rights
  24. Palestinian Human Rights Organization
  25. Sudan Monitor for Human Rights
  26. Sudan Social Development Organization
  27. Tammuz Organization for Social Development, Iraq
  28. The Arab World Observatory for Democracy and Election, Palestine
  29. The Collective of NGOs in Sidon, Lebanon
  30. The Gulf forum for Civil Society Institutions
  31. The Mauritanian Scholars Club for Democracy and Development
  32. The Palestinian Working Women’s Society for Developmentt
  33. Tunisian League for the Defense of Human Rights
  34. Yemen Center for Transitional Justice
  35. Yemen Organization for Defending Rights & Democratic Freedoms

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