Egypt: Parties pledge to end state of emergency, many stop short of committing to women’s rights

Amnesty International
24 January 2012

"Most of the biggest Egyptian political parties have committed to delivering ambitious human rights reform in the country’s transition, but have either given mixed signals or have flatly refused to sign up to ending discrimination, protecting women’s rights and to abolishing the death penalty, Amnesty International said today.

Ahead of parliamentary elections which began in November, the organization asked political parties running in Egypt’s elections to sign a “human rights manifesto” containing 10 key measures to signal that they were serious about delivering meaningful human rights reform.

Amnesty International wrote to 54 political parties and sought meetings with 15 of the main ones, nine of whom signed up to the manifesto, either in its entirety or to some of the pledges. Three others gave oral feedback.

The Freedom and Justice Party, which won the most seats in the new People’s Assembly, was one of three parties not to respond substantively, despite considerable efforts by Amnesty International to seek its views. ...."