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Concern over deteriorating rights situation in Egypt
World Report
Concern over deteriorating rights situation in Egypt Doctors and non-governmental organisations are condeming continued human rights abuses and violence by security forces against their colleagues. Sharmila Devi reports.
Associated Press
Egypt is facing growing international opprobrium for its crackdown on dissent including killings, torture, and arrests that have sparked demonstrations, including by thousands of Egyptian doctors. Human rights campaigners said the protests had put the doctors in the vanguard of rising popular discontent with a culture of impunity among Egyptian security forces. They say police brutality has become even more widespread under President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi than under President Hosni Mubarak, who was ousted in a 2011 popular uprising. el-Sisi took power in a popular military coup against the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013. Since then the security services have conducted a crackdown, including on nongovernmental organisations. In March, 14 organisations— including Amnesty International, Article 19, the Committee to Protect Journalists, Human Rights Watch, and Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy— expressed concern after the Egyptian authorities summoned human rights workers for questioning, banned them from travel, and attempted to freeze their personal funds and family assets. “The Egyptian authorities have moved beyond scaremongering and are now rapidly taking concrete steps to shut down the last critical voices in the country’s human rights community”, said Nadim Houry, Human Rights Watch’s Middle East deputy director. Rights groups have also called on the authorities to revoke an order to shut down the Nadeem Centre, which for more than two decades has provided psychiatric therapy to torture victims. On April 5, police for the second time in 3 months stormed the centre with closure orders but its lawyers have so far held them off. 1896
Relations between the Egyptian Doctors Syndicate, the main union, and the health ministry remain strained since two doctors at the Matariya Teaching Hospital in Cairo were assaulted by policemen in February, prompting thousands of doctors to take to the streets. “Egyptian doctors have for years suffered difficult conditions, poor pay, and a lack of equipment and facilities”, an Egyptian doctor, who did not want to be named because of fear of reprisal by security forces, told The Lancet. “At the very least, we should be able to work without fear of attack.”
“‘Egyptian doctors have for years suffered difficult conditions, poor pay, and a lack of equipment and facilities’...’At the very least, we should be able to work without fear of attack.’” The syndicate said the police officers accused of the assault were still walking free and demanded they be referred to trial. Last month, the Egyptian Doctors Syndicate sent a letter to the Egyptian Prime Minister, Sherif Ismail, urging stricter penalties including jail for assaults on doctors, similar to those imposed for attacks against civil servants. They also want to prevent any armed personnel from entering medical facilities except for security forces tasked with guarding the facilities. Ahmed Abdullah, one of the doctors who was assaulted, said he was “dragged” and “handcuffed” after he told a low-ranking policeman that his wound was “superficial” and would not require stitches. Tensions escalated and more policemen became involved at the hospital, he said in a video published by the Egyptian news portal Mobtada that went viral earlier this year. “Since we started our protests, we’ve seen attacks against us in the state-
controlled media while the government has responded by bringing medical malpractice suits against some doctors to slow us down”, said the Egyptian doctor. “They are trying to divert the conversation but we’ve been clear in our response that the malpractice allegations are wrong and we will continue to pressure the government.” Doctors have also voted not to accept fees from patients in public hospitals and they continue to express concern about a new health insurance system. The Dentists Syndicate might also vote to take action against government policies after a new activist leadership was recently installed. “The doctors’ protests were notable because we hadn’t seen any significant street action until then”, said a human rights campaigner who also did not want to be named because of the security situation. “Egypt is becoming more and more a closed country and is ripe for unrest. People are afraid of surveillance and there is widespread paranoia.” Internationally, the USA is concerned about the “deterioration” in Egypt’s rights situation and “a wider backdrop of arrests and intimidation of political opposition, journalists, civil society activists, and cultural figures”, John Kerry, US Secretary of State, said in March. And, last month, Italy recalled its ambassador from Cairo saying Egyptian investigators on a visit to Rome had not provided the evidence needed to resolve the case of Italian PhD student Giulio Regeni, whose badly tortured body was dumped beside a road near Cairo in January. Many campaigners accuse the security forces of responsibility for his death. The government, which says it is fighting against Islamic militants, denies this.
Sharmila Devi www.thelancet.com Vol 387 May 7, 2016
Concern over deteriorating rights situation in Egypt Doctors and non-governmental organisations are condeming continued human rights abuses and violence by security forces against their colleagues. Sharmila Devi reports.
Associated Press
Egypt is facing growing international opprobrium for its crackdown on dissent including killings, torture, and arrests that have sparked demonstrations, including by thousands of Egyptian doctors. Human rights campaigners said the protests had put the doctors in the vanguard of rising popular discontent with a culture of impunity among Egyptian security forces. They say police brutality has become even more widespread under President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi than under President Hosni Mubarak, who was ousted in a 2011 popular uprising. el-Sisi took power in a popular military coup against the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013. Since then the security services have conducted a crackdown, including on nongovernmental organisations. In March, 14 organisations— including Amnesty International, Article 19, the Committee to Protect Journalists, Human Rights Watch, and Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy— expressed concern after the Egyptian authorities summoned human rights workers for questioning, banned them from travel, and attempted to freeze their personal funds and family assets. “The Egyptian authorities have moved beyond scaremongering and are now rapidly taking concrete steps to shut down the last critical voices in the country’s human rights community”, said Nadim Houry, Human Rights Watch’s Middle East deputy director. Rights groups have also called on the authorities to revoke an order to shut down the Nadeem Centre, which for more than two decades has provided psychiatric therapy to torture victims. On April 5, police for the second time in 3 months stormed the centre with closure orders but its lawyers have so far held them off. 1896
Relations between the Egyptian Doctors Syndicate, the main union, and the health ministry remain strained since two doctors at the Matariya Teaching Hospital in Cairo were assaulted by policemen in February, prompting thousands of doctors to take to the streets. “Egyptian doctors have for years suffered difficult conditions, poor pay, and a lack of equipment and facilities”, an Egyptian doctor, who did not want to be named because of fear of reprisal by security forces, told The Lancet. “At the very least, we should be able to work without fear of attack.”
“‘Egyptian doctors have for years suffered difficult conditions, poor pay, and a lack of equipment and facilities’...’At the very least, we should be able to work without fear of attack.’” The syndicate said the police officers accused of the assault were still walking free and demanded they be referred to trial. Last month, the Egyptian Doctors Syndicate sent a letter to the Egyptian Prime Minister, Sherif Ismail, urging stricter penalties including jail for assaults on doctors, similar to those imposed for attacks against civil servants. They also want to prevent any armed personnel from entering medical facilities except for security forces tasked with guarding the facilities. Ahmed Abdullah, one of the doctors who was assaulted, said he was “dragged” and “handcuffed” after he told a low-ranking policeman that his wound was “superficial” and would not require stitches. Tensions escalated and more policemen became involved at the hospital, he said in a video published by the Egyptian news portal Mobtada that went viral earlier this year. “Since we started our protests, we’ve seen attacks against us in the state-
controlled media while the government has responded by bringing medical malpractice suits against some doctors to slow us down”, said the Egyptian doctor. “They are trying to divert the conversation but we’ve been clear in our response that the malpractice allegations are wrong and we will continue to pressure the government.” Doctors have also voted not to accept fees from patients in public hospitals and they continue to express concern about a new health insurance system. The Dentists Syndicate might also vote to take action against government policies after a new activist leadership was recently installed. “The doctors’ protests were notable because we hadn’t seen any significant street action until then”, said a human rights campaigner who also did not want to be named because of the security situation. “Egypt is becoming more and more a closed country and is ripe for unrest. People are afraid of surveillance and there is widespread paranoia.” Internationally, the USA is concerned about the “deterioration” in Egypt’s rights situation and “a wider backdrop of arrests and intimidation of political opposition, journalists, civil society activists, and cultural figures”, John Kerry, US Secretary of State, said in March. And, last month, Italy recalled its ambassador from Cairo saying Egyptian investigators on a visit to Rome had not provided the evidence needed to resolve the case of Italian PhD student Giulio Regeni, whose badly tortured body was dumped beside a road near Cairo in January. Many campaigners accuse the security forces of responsibility for his death. The government, which says it is fighting against Islamic militants, denies this.
Sharmila Devi www.thelancet.com Vol 387 May 7, 2016