Egypt’s National Human Rights Council gets global rubber stamp, though its access to prisons remains limited

The National Council for Human Rights celebrated on Wednesday its achievement of first grade status from an international accreditation body. 

The classification was upheld despite global and regional recommendations for its status to be downgraded due to human rights violations in Egypt, and issues around the council’s independence. 

Lawyer Negad al-Borai, who has taken part in consultation meetings with the NCHR, told Mada Masr that positive changes within the council have taken place, which he attributed to “momentum” within the council following the recommendation for its downgrade.

However, he still acknowledged that “the council is essentially weak as it faces pressure from the government.” 

In order for the council to become more effective, he expressed hope that it keeps up the efforts it has made recently,  “not for the question of the downgrade, but for the question of the council’s role in [defending] human rights. 

The decision for the NCHR to maintain its “A” status was issued by the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI)’s Sub-Committee on Accreditation (SCA) in a report, of which Mada Masr obtained a copy. 

GANHRI’s accreditation committee had recommended the council be downgraded in October last year, citing the council’s lack of independence from state entities and transparency over its actions.

The downgrade recommendation granted the NCHR a six-month period to conform with the Paris Principles — which set minimum standards for national human rights institutions (NHRI) to “be considered credible and to operate effectively.”

Both the NCHR and the government felt threatened that the ranking might drop, Borai said. As a result, they pushed for strong measures as the council felt it would be “a disgrace” for the ranking to fall, “so it began to work properly.”

The resignation of former council head, Moushira Khattab, and of the council’s former secretary general were among the main changes made in response to the downgrade threat, according to Borai. 

Khattab resigned from her role in June in a move that former council member Nasser Amin described to Mada Masr at the time as a belated attempt for her to “wash her hands” of the council’s worst performance in two decades.

While the 2025 report notes progress on the council’s leadership, it also highlights ongoing problems, ranging from the council’s internal structure, which GANHRI says would still require work, to its limited access to prisons.

The council is currently unable to conduct prison visits without gaining prior permission from authorities. As a result, prison visits are often to limited specific and highly sanitized areas of Egypt’s prisons. 

GANHRI has previously stated  that the NCHR should have free access to inspect and examine any public premises, documents, equipment and assets without prior written notice.

Most of these issues are addressed in a draft law that the NCHR discussed with parliamentarians— though no progress has yet been made toward the law’s issuance. 

The latest report also states that the council still needs a clear, transparent and participatory selection and appointment process which “promotes merit-based selection and ensures pluralism.”

The law currently regulating the NCHR’s legal existence allows only universities, syndicates and other institutions to submit nominations to the council’s membership, after which the council’s president and members are selected and approved via presidential decree.

Reinstated in 2021 after a four-year hiatus, the NHRC is tasked with reporting and making recommendations for the human rights situation in Egypt. 

Its re-establishment came in line with the launch of the National Strategy For Human Rights by the president in response to years of stern rebuke from international organizations and governments.