A/HRC/28/16
8.
The Egyptian people started another revolution on 30 June 2013, with the
participation of about 30 million Egyptians. Political and popular forces agreed on a
national road map that encompassed constitutional reform, presidential and parliamentary
elections.
9.
The Committee of the Fifty, a body comprising representatives of Egyptians from all
walks of life, drafted a new amended Constitution that was passed by a popular vote of 98.1
per cent, including an unprecedented participation by women. Following presidential
elections held in May 2014, a new President was appointed by a popular vote of over 96 per
cent. Preparations are also under way for holding parliamentary elections, the final step in
the road map.
10.
The Ministry of Transitional Justice and Parliamentary Affairs is responsible for all
aspects relevant to human rights in Egypt. It observes types of violations and
marginalization and works on ensuring accountability and reparations to victims of
violations.
11.
In upholding the principle of accountability, the President of Egypt formed in 2013
an independent fact-finding commission to investigate acts of violence following the
30 June revolution. The commission has finalized its work and is in the process of
preparing its reports to submit to the competent authorities.
12.
Among the first of the President’s decisions was the formation of a high committee
for legislative reform tasked with reviewing the legislative edifice in order to align it with
the new Constitution. The Committee has already prepared a number of draft laws to
address core human rights issues.
13.
The 2014 Constitution in its article 5 lists human rights among the foundations of
the State’s political system. It stipulates that discrimination and incitement to hatred are
crimes with no statute of limitations. It further committed the state to achieving social
justice. Citizenship, equality and equal opportunity form the basis of the relationship
between the individual and the State. It has stipulated rights and freedoms unprecedented in
previous Egyptian constitutional systems, for example, the right to peaceful strike, and has
released controls over the freedom of belief. Personal freedom is ensured as a natural right,
as are the freedoms of movement, thought, opinion, artistic and literary creativity, press and
publishing. The Constitution prohibits forced arbitrary displacement. It ensures the rights to
form political parties, civil associations and organizations upon notification. The
Constitution further dedicates several articles to addressing the rights of women, children,
persons with disabilities, older persons and expatriates.
14.
In 2010, Egypt received a total of 165 recommendations. It accepted 119 of them, of
which 25 were under implementation at the time of the review. Despite the pressing
domestic issues, the steps below have been taken to implement the accepted
recommendations.
15.
A number of inter-agency governmental consultations have been held with civil
society representatives to hear their views on the human rights situation.
16.
The Government issued a number of decisions and laws since 2011 during the
transitional period to implement its international legal obligations in the field of human
rights. The most important ones include tightening punishments for crimes of violence
against women, establishing a health insurance system for women heads of families and
children under the school age and regulating the right to public assembly and peaceful
demonstrations.
17.
The law regulating political parties was amended in 2011 to allow for the
establishment of political parties upon notification. Political parties are not to be dissolved
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