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Egyptian human rights organizations and bar association declared:
Establishment of the Egyptian alliance to support the International Criminal Court
Cairo, January 5, 2008
Thirty one Egyptian human rights organizations along with the committee of liberties in the bar association declared the establishment of an Egyptian alliance for supporting the International Criminal Court. This comes to urge the Egyptian government to join the International Criminal Court as a step forward prevailing the international just and ending the phenomenon of impunity.
On last Thursday, January 3, 2008, the Egyptian human rights organizations held a meeting in the lawyers club in Cairo in participation of the committee of liberties of the bar association. The meeting concluded with the importance of establishing an Egyptian alliance based upon the civil society institutions to urge the Egyptian government to join the International Criminal Court. Also, the meeting stressed on the role of Egyptian civil society institutions in highlighting the role of the court in settling the principle of international justice in the world and how useful is it for the Arabian and international communities. The Egyptian government was one of the pioneers who played an outstanding role to support establishing the international criminal court. But, this role vanished after a bilateral agreement signed between the Egyptian government and the American government in relation to abandoning criminals extradition to the court. Obviously, this agreement violates settling the justice and supports impunity in the same time. On the other hand, the participants in the alliance called the Egyptian government for abandoning this agreement, and going with many democratic countries in order to support the court despite of the American severe opposition.
The Egyptian civil society institutions assured that they would spare no effort to join thousands of Arabian and international civil society organizations to support the court, and to let Egypt be included in the Rome Statute. This comes as a stance to support the people's right in punishing whoever practices any violations against humanity allover the world.
It was noticeable that the Egyptian civil society institutions worked on not only joining the alliance, but also joining the secretariat which will be in charge of setting up a plan for highlighting the role of the court and establishing a national dialogue about it along with holding workshops to support the court task, although the Arab world refrained from signing and joining the Rome statute. Only three Arabian countries “ Jordan , Djibouti , and Comoros ” out of 105 Arabian countries (representing the parties signed) had joined the statute.
Because of the international criminal court, all civil society and human rights organizations in Egypt are welcomed as members in the Egyptian alliance. Also, the alliance welcomes any kind of cooperation and experience exchange with national and international partners an blocs who supports the court.
It has agreed upon by the participants to let the committee of liberties in the Egyptian bar association to be the headquarter and the general coordinator of the alliance other than the support of joining legal experts.
The alliance secretariat will hold its first meeting next days to draw a plan and launch the actual activity.
The alliance includes :
- Committee of Liberties in bar association Mahmoud Kandil (human
rights expert)
- Arabic Network for Human Rights Information
- Egyptian Observatory for Justice and Law
- Egyptian Organization for Human Rights
- Nadeem Center for Psychological Therapy and Rehabilitation of the Victims of Violence
- Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights
- Legal Assistance for Human Rights Group
- Al Naqeeb for Training and Democracy Support
- Egyptian Woman Issues Association
- Al-Ganoub (South) Centre for Human Rights
- Hisham Mubarak Law Center
- Egyptian Association Against Torture
- Arab Program for Human Rights Activists
- Land Centre for Human Rights
- Habi Centre for Environmental Rights
- Civil Observatory for Human Rights Association
- Egyptian Centre for Human Rights
- Andalus Institute for Tolerance and Anti-violence Studies
- Coordination Committee for the Trade Union and Worker Rights and Liberties
- Dialogue Society for Development and Human Rights
- Egyptian Association for Community Participation Enhancement
- Maat Centre for Judicial and Constitutional Studies
- The Arab Foundation for the Civil Society Support and Human Rights
- Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression
- Egyptian Association for the Support of Democratic Development
- Freedom Centre for Political Rights and Democratic Support
- Egyptian Association for Economic and Social Rights
- Egyptian Awn Human Rights Association
- National Center for Human Rights
- Al-Haqq Center for Democracy and Human Rights
- Association of Absolute Justice
- Arab Council for Fair Trial Support
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