Introduction:
Since the submission of its last report, Egypt has witnessed tangible progress in the field of human rights, in line with the provisions and spirit of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, civic, political, economic, social and cultural rights, with particular emphasis on the rights of women, children and physically challenged persons. Based on its convictions and commitment to the principle of equality without any discrimination, Egypt has spared no efforts in guaranteeing human rights for all its citizens to preserve their human dignity within the context of a democratic society founded on freedom liberty and justice.
In a regional environment characterized by volatile internal developments, Egypt witnessed the eruption of the popular revolution of 25th January 2011 when the people of Egypt demanded the overthrow of the regime and the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms, raising the banner of freedom, decent living and social justice. Political events then unfolded, leading to the election of a President from the Muslim Brotherhood in June 2012. The turnout in that election was 51.8% and the candidate won 51.7% of the votes. However, the people were surprised that the new president continued to pursue despotic policies that undermined the rule of law and ran counter to the objectives of the January 25 Revolution.
These policies entrenched the concentration of power in the hands of the President's party. The President issued a constitutional declaration by virtue of which he shielded his decisions from judicial oversight and attacked the independence of the judiciary with the removal of the Attorney General. He equally failed to enforce court rulings that did not favor the political interests of his group. His supporters also besieged the headquarters of the Supreme Constitutional Court to prevent it from performing its work. The President and his party adopted political rhetoric that incited hatred and violence among the citizenry and discriminated against them according to their political and religious affiliations. Also, the committee formed by the President to develop a constitution consisted solely of the supporters of the President's political group, chosen on religious grounds. Despite a judicial ruling that nullified the formation of that
committee for violating democratic standards, a constitution was drafted on December 25, 2012, that was largely exclusionary and contained blatant aberrations from the power of constitutional legislation; this was followed by the dismissal of a number of judges of the Supreme Constitutional Court.