Harassment of climate summit delegates and lockdown of protesters undermine country’s reputation abroad
An empty compound designed to engage protesters in the middle of the desert, harassment and surveillance of Cop27 delegates (including evidence that the official conference app could spy on them), food and water shortages, and widespread housing unrest have served to undermine the Egyptian government’s attempts to use the climate discussion to bolster its external image.
Belgian politician Séverine de Laveleye said she was briefly detained by Egyptian security forces as she entered the convention center only for wearing badges representing some of Egypt’s 65,000 political prisoners, adding that British-Egyptian democracy activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah. human rights don’t even have a good reputation within the COP,” he said. “Sisi’s Egypt is one of repression. “
Egypt’s selection to host the important climate talks at Sharm el-Sheikh’s remote elite hotel meant COP27 ensured participants saw only a consciously calibrated view of the country. However, the COP27 presidency failed to give the desired public symbol to the regime. Criticism worsened as negotiations became chaotic in their final hours. One observer said: “Veterans now call this the least groomed cop in 30 years. “
Abd el-Fattah’s sister, Sanaa Seif, who attended the crusade talks for her brother’s release, first attracted more attention than negotiations, prompting crowds to chants of “Free Alaa, let go of them all,” words that have temporarily become a rallying cry. for civil society in Sharm el-Sheikh.
“The idea of the Egyptian Cop27 government would be its moment of glory, with the president discussing with all world leaders,” said Hussein Baoumi of Amnesty International. “But then, thanks to the courage of human rights defenders and Sanaa Seif, it’s not about him or his vision of Egypt. This is the truth with which tens of thousands of people in Egypt live, namely the human rights crisis.
Since being forced into a military coup in 2013, Sisi has worked to quell any areas of dissent. Writer and activist Abd el-Fatah has spent most of the bars for more than a decade and was sentenced to five more years in prison last year for sharing an article about torture on social media. “I think Alaa’s case has become iconic, he’s become bigger than Alaa,” Baoumi said. “It has become a symbol of what the Egyptian government is doing to political criminals.
The Egyptian government has tried to isolate Abd el-Fattah’s case and the lives of many Egyptians beyond the convention center, as well as arresting more than 500 people across Egypt over the past month following calls for protests.
Also visibly irritated by the mention of Abd el-Fattah’s call or human rights, it is not easy to concentrate only on climate talks. Wael Aboulmagd, Special Representative of the President of COP27.
The United Nations is reportedly investigating the blatant surveillance of participants through Egyptian security forces, adding the recording of Seif’s events. Aboulmagd called this “ridiculous” and added: “Why would there be adverse surveillance at an open event?”
An Egyptian human rights activist who attended COP27 saw the surveillance denounced by authorities as an open challenge to UN-led talks. “It’s time for them to be held accountable,” he said. The activist, who asked not to be named, said that despite the efforts of the Egyptian state, COP27 also provided a rare opportunity to take Egypt’s rights crackdown abroad.
“The government has forgotten how to protect itself because it has given it a lot of repression. He has lost, and he has lost a lot and he has broken his image.