Cairo group to present Egypt’s human rights abuses to UN

The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) plans to take part in the 24th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva next week, the organization announced on Monday.

The CIHRS would participate in a session focusing on human rights issues in a number of regional countries, including Egypt, Lebanon, Sudan and Bahrain.

A press release was issued last month by several human rights organizations in Egypt responding to state violations against anti-coup protesters in Rabea al-Adaweya last month. The wave of violence that ensued claimed the lives of more than 1,000 people, injuring thousands more.

The CIHRS and the Arab Network for Human Rights Information were among those who condemned state violence against the demonstrators.

Since the dispersal of the major sit-ins demanding the reinstatement of former President Mohamed Morsi at Rabea al-Adaweya and Nahda Square in Cairo, several churches, state institutions, police stations and army checkpoints in Sinai and elsewhere have been violently attacked. The Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist groups have been accused of perpetrating the violence.

“Truth and justice are the most prominent victims of more than 30 months of political violence in Egypt,” the statement said, asking authorities to respect freedom of opinion and expression and to “comply with international human rights standards regarding the use of force by law enforcement officials.”

The CIHRS has collaborated with Nazra for Feminist Studies on a study dealing with the human rights of women during the transitional period. The study, which “draws attention to the grave violations experienced by women during their involvement in pro-democracy protests,” will be showcased during the UN human rights session, in addition to a study on right to access information in the Arab world.