The situation was denounced by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
Egypt expelled this Thursday the representative of the anti-torture NGO “Dignity”, Giorgio Caracciolo, after denying him his participation in the Climate Summit COP27, despite being accredited, activists denounced.
A dozen organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, denounced in a statement that Caracciolo was forced to leave Cairo’s international airport and board a flight to Paris, without explanation and preventing him from attending the climate summit. , to which he was going to participate in defense of human rights.
“Caracciolo’s denial of entry confirms previous concerns about the restrictions civil society faces at COP27, amid a systematic crackdown on the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association” ;, denounced the NGOs.
Furthermore, they lamented that “from the beginning, the Egyptian government has maneuvered to sideline and silence independent civil society at COP27”.
& #8220;Systematic practices of torture in the Middle East and North Africa”
The Danish organization Dignity, of which the Italian is the regional director in the Middle East and North Africa, has documented in recent years the “systematic practices” of torture and mistreatment in Egypt, especially in the prisons of the African country.
This deportation occurs when one of the issues that has focused the most attention at COP27 is the situation of the Egyptian pro-democracy activist -British prisoner since 2019 Alaa Abdelfatah, whose family denounces that he has undergone clinical intervention after spending four days on a thirst strike to protest against his imprisonment.
Local and international organizations, as well as delegations from countries, have demanded the release of Alaa – considered by the NGOs to be a “prisoner of conscience”- and have expressed concern about his state of health.
Furthermore, they denounce that tactics used against activists such as Caracciolo, “They are creating an environment of fear” for all those who speak out on the human rights situation in Egypt at COP27.