Originally published on the CGS blog on February 7, 2011.
CGS has joined a cross-regional group of civil society organizations urging the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) to call an urgent special session to address the deteriorating human rights situation in Egypt.
On January 25, a popular uprising demanding an end to the 30-year rule of authoritarian President Hosni Mubarak, began in Egypt. In recent days, Egyptian authorities have responded to ongoing protests with targeted assault on peaceful demonstrators, civil society activists and journalists, leading to hundreds injured and arrested. According to the UN, 300 may have died already. Citing the mounting casualties, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay described Mubarak’s leadership as, “a system that has deprived people of fundamental rights, and has committed a range of serious abuses, including widespread acts of torture.”
In a letter addressed to UN Member States, 29 NGOs, including CGS, is calling on UN Human Rights Council members to hold an urgent special session to work to prevent further human rights violations and protect Egyptian citizens who have already suffered government repression.
