Human rights situation in Egypt not perfect, but a lot was achieved: MP Tarek Radwan

CAIRO – 8 April 2021: Head of the Human Rights Committee in the House of Representatives, MP Tarek Radwan said that the United Nations Human Rights Council’s statement that was issued last March did not get its information from the right and legitimate sources about the Human Rights situation in Egypt, which is the Egyption parliament.

‘Egypt’s parliament is the legitimate source of this kind of information. It represents the Egyption people as a legislative authority vis-à-vis the executive authority’ Radwan said replaying to a question asked by one of the reporters attending at the Egyptian Center for Strategic Studies (ECSS) conference, held on Thursday titled 'Building a Post-Pandemic World...A Comprehensive Approach to Human Rights.”

He added that the joint statement that was signed by 31 countries depended on the information that was provided to them by specific entities with other kind ‘visions and purposes’

The Egyption MP said that the U.S. Congress members visited Egypt three times, and never visited the Egyption parliament, which is ‘is not befitting of a protocol’.

‘In return, members of the Egyption parliament visited the congress up to six times and discussed serval issues with them.’ Radwan said.

He explained that ‘politicians never claimed that the human rights situation in Egypt is perfect. Many things needed to be corrected and revised; however, we invite the legislative institutions in the European Union and the United States to visit Egypt to assess the human rights situation based on the concept of human rights in Egypt.’

‘Many this was achieved,’ The Egyption MP said. He mentioned Haya Karima [Decent life] presidential initiative that was launched 2019 by President Abdel Fattah al Sisi which aimed at changing the life of millions of Egyptians living in countryside and villages.

He also noted that ‘Egypt’s right for water’ is one of the main rights that cannot be ignored when talking about the human rights situation.

‘Egypt has an important case with The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) negotiations, which is the Egyptian’s right to water and what we are facing of Ethiopia’s obstinacy in this regard’ Head of the Human Rights Committee in the House of Representatives said

He stressed that the world must unite and stand together to create channels of communication between the three parties in a way that will also support human rights, ‘as the rights are not just political.’