Ahead of Egypt’s fourth Universal Periodic Review (UPR) cycle, the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP), together with the Law Society of England and Wales and Lawyers for Lawyers, issued a UPR Advocacy Fact Sheet highlighting the significant deterioration of the legal profession’s independence in Egypt and underscoring the lack of fair trial guarantees.
The fact sheet summarizes the joint alternate report made by the organizations to the UPR Working Group. It highlights the concerning trend of heightened executive control over the judiciary, which undermines its independence. It also addresses the absence of fair trial guarantees and the systematic targeting of lawyers, which creates a chilling effect on the legal profession.
The fact sheet also summarizes the recommendations suggested in the joint submission and calls on states participating in the UPR process to make the following recommendations, among others, during Egypt’s review:
- Ensure the independence and protection of the legal profession from any undue interference, including harassment, arrest, or prosecution in connection with their professional activity.
- Repeal vague provisions in the Anti-Terrorism Law, Anti-Cybercrime Law, Media Law, and Penal Code, and end their politicized use against lawyers, human rights defenders, and dissidents.
- Ensure access to justice and due process for all, including immediately ending the practice of mass trials, recycling or rotation of cases, remote review of pretrial detention, and trials of civilians in military courts.
- Immediately cease the practice of enforced disappearance and ensure perpetrators are held accountable in trials conforming with international law.
The UPR is a mechanism of the United Nations created to examine the human rights performances of all UN member states; Egypt’s fourth UPR cycle is set to take place in January 2025.