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MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION (2020/2912(RSP))

On the deteriorating situation of human rights in Egypt, in particular the case of the activists of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR)

B-9-2020-0426

on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group · Rapporteur: Mounir Satouri, Piernicola Pedicini, Gwendoline DelbosCorfield, Rosa D'Amato, Ignazio Corrao, Eleonora Evi, Tineke Strik, Hannah Neumann, Bronis Ropė

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✦ In short · AI summary of this text, generated 25 Oct 2026

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A resolution on the deteriorating human rights situation in Egypt, focused on the case of Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) activists. It condemns the crackdown on civil society and calls for releases, a moratorium on executions, and a review of EU relations.

Key points

  1. Condemns the crackdown on civil society, human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers, women's rights activists, LGBTI people and minorities, and the large number of political prisoners.
  2. Condemns the arrests of EIPR staff Gasser Abdel Razek, Karim Ennarah and Mohammad Basheer, deplores the freeze on their assets, and urges Egypt to drop all charges and lift restrictive measures.
  3. Calls on Egypt to release all those detained for peaceful human rights work or expression, naming Patrick Zaki and others, and to close Case 173/2011 and lift travel bans.
  4. Calls on Egypt to stop blocking news and human rights websites and to release detained media workers, including Kamal al-Balshy.
  5. Expresses concern over overcrowded detention and denial of medical care during COVID-19, calls for decongestion, and denounces repression of medical workers.
  6. Notes Italian prosecutors' identification of four suspects in the Giulio Regeni case, urges Egypt to cooperate, and warns against retaliation against witnesses and the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF).
  7. Strongly condemns the scale of executions and death sentences against juveniles, and urges Egypt to decree a moratorium on executions.
  8. Calls for a profound review of EU-Egypt relations, making the next Association Council meeting conditional on human rights improvements, and for EU officials to publicly raise concerns.
  9. Welcomes the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions regime and calls for it to be applied to high-level Egyptian officials, starting with President Sisi.
  10. Calls for EU budget support to be restricted to civil society, for transparency and human rights impact assessments for all EU financial support, and for the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights to support civil society and defenders at risk.
  11. Deplores arms exports from EU member states, notably France and Germany, and the United Kingdom, calls for an EU-wide ban on military and surveillance technology exports to Egypt, and for the VP/HR to report on security cooperation.
  12. Calls on the EEAS to attend trials and visit prisoners, urges the EU to lead at the UN Human Rights Council to set up a monitoring mechanism, and stresses that migration arrangements must comply with human rights standards.

Who is affected

  • Egyptian authorities: called on to release detainees, drop charges, stop blocking websites, decongest detention and halt executions.
  • EIPR staff and activists: the resolution condemns their arrests and asset freezes and calls for charges to be dropped.
  • EU member states: urged to stop arms exports to Egypt and comply with EU law.
  • EU institutions (Commission, EEAS, VP/HR): called on to restrict budget support, report on security cooperation, attend trials and apply sanctions.
  • Migrants and refugees: any EU-Egypt migration arrangement must respect their fundamental rights.

Figures and deadlines

  • Between 15 and 19 November 2020, three EIPR staff members were arrested; released on bail on 3 December.
  • Patrick Zaki arrested in February 2020; pre-trial detention renewed for 45 days on 6 December.
  • At least 110 people executed in 2020, 57 in October and November, nearly double the 32 executed in 2019; at least 39 on death row.
  • At least 17 juveniles received death sentences since 2011 under Article 122 of the Child Law.
  • EU bilateral assistance to Egypt under the European Neighbourhood Instrument for 2017-20 is around EUR 500 million; total ongoing aid commitments €1.3 billion; COVID-19 response up to €289 million; total ongoing support €11 billion.
  • At least twelve EU member states supply military or security equipment to Egypt.
  • Political prisoners estimated between 60 000 and 100 000 by international CSOs.
  • At least 31 human rights defenders and NGO staff face travel bans under Case 173/2011.