#Statement
In the context of the latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) before the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Egyptian government accepted Recommendation No. 42.5, submitted by a number of states (Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, France, Gambia, Ghana, Mexico, North Macedonia, South Sudan, and Ukraine), regarding ratification of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (2006).
This has been a longstanding demand of the Stop Enforced Disappearances Campaign and human rights organizations since the campaign’s launch in 2015, as part of a set of necessary measures to prevent the recurrence of the crime of enforced disappearance in Egypt. After years of the ongoing and systematically denied practice of this crime by Egyptian authorities, the campaign emphasizes that merely accepting the recommendation in principle is not sufficient. It must be followed by actual signature and ratification of the Convention, accompanied by policy changes that ensure the Egyptian authorities are committed to ending this crime permanently and preventing its recurrence in the future.
The Stop Enforced Disappearances Campaign believes that, alongside the Egyptian government’s declaration of support for this recommendation, there is an urgent need for actual accession to the Convention, followed by effective legislative and executive measures to end the phenomenon of enforced disappearance in Egypt, which has persisted for over a decade. The government’s continued disregard of recommendations and its lack of genuine political will to seriously engage in the protection of citizens from the crime of enforced disappearance—still widely and systematically practiced in Egypt—must end.
The campaign continues to document the use of enforced disappearance as a tool to suppress dissent and intimidate society, amidst the absence of accountability, reparation for victims, and the normalization of the practice through domestic legislation, as well as the authorities’ clear refusal to investigate complaints submitted by victims and their families—all of which further entrench a climate of impunity.
Between August 2023 and August 2024, the Stop Enforced Disappearances Campaign monitored and documented 438 cases of enforced disappearance, including 19 women. This brings the total number of cases documented by the campaign since its inception in August 2015 to 4,677.
Ratifying the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance is not a mere symbolic gesture; it is a binding legal commitment that safeguards individuals from enforced disappearance and holds state institutions accountable under both the Constitution and international law. Delaying ratification constitutes a failure to protect citizens and a violation of their rights.
The Stop Enforced Disappearances Campaign affirms that respecting Egypt’s international obligations begins with genuine political will, transparency, and readiness to be held accountable—not merely through approval of recommendations without implementation. The campaign reiterates its call for immediate accession to the Convention as a first step toward ending years of violations and delivering justice to thousands of victims and their families.
Accordingly, the Stop Enforced Disappearances Campaign calls for:
• Immediate accession to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.
• Referral of the recommendation to the relevant authorities to initiate official procedures for signing the Convention, and to the House of Representatives for public discussion and a formal ratification decision.
• An end to security policies that perpetuate this crime, and accountability for those responsible.
• Amendment of domestic laws to align with the provisions of the Convention.
• Establishment of a national mechanism to monitor and document cases of enforced disappearance and to receive complaints from victims and their families.
• Creation of a national body to provide reparations for victims of enforced disappearance.
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