Egyptian Human Rights Forum (EHRF) co-organized a side event at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva titled “Testimonies from Families of Political Prisoners and Defenders, and a Brief Response on the National Report.” The event featured powerful testimonies from the families of Alaa Abdel Fattah, Hoda Abdelmonem, and Ahmed Tantawi, shedding light on Egypt’s ongoing human rights violations and repression of political prisoners.
Following these testimonies, human rights defenders provided further context on the systematic crackdown on activists, journalists, and opposition figures. An EHRF representative delivered an intervention focusing on the targeting of human rights defenders and political activists under counterterrorism laws, both within Egypt and abroad. The intervention specifically highlighted the case of Abdulrahman Yusuf, emphasizing his arbitrary detention and extradition as a blatant example of transnational repression.
The event underscored the urgent need for international action to address Egypt’s misuse of counterterrorism lawsand its escalating campaign against exiled activists. Participants called on UN mechanisms, member states, and civil society organizations to strengthen protections for human rights defenders and push for greater accountability in Egypt’s human rights crisis.
