Mr. President,

The Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) welcomes the recent opening of the Refah crossing by the Egyptian authorities.  Nevertheless, IHRC holds the opinion that unless the crossing is permanently opened, Egypt will be complicit in the collective punishment of the Palestinians in Gaza, and directly accountable for the ongoing humanitarian disaster befalling them.

IHRC is also deeply concerned that despite some recent releases of political prisoners, Egyptian authorities have begun again to crack down on political opposition in a vehement fashion.  This includes the arbitrary arrests of Muslim Brotherhood activists; the refusal to allow medical treatment for seriously ill prisoners, in particular Khairet El-Shater; the harsh sentencing and dubious trials of the so-called 22 Hizbullah members; as well as the arrests and detentions of peaceful protestors and bloggers.

We hope that a real movement towards empowerment and democracy to enable all Egyptian to participate in the future of their nation without fear for their personal or collective security.

Thank you Mr. President.
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The Islamic Human Rights Commission is an NGO in special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council.

Islamic Human Rights Commission
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Telephone (+44) 20 8904 4222
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Email: info@ihrc.org
Web: www.ihrc.org