THREAD: President Macron's comments on human rights in Egypt at today's press conference with President Sisi were appalling for a variety of reasons. He propped up Sisi's untenable effort to connect repression to the fight against extremism when we all know this to be untrue.
Macron's decision to include in his brief comments about the abysmal rights situation in Egypt acknowledgement of Egypt's fight against extremists bolsters Egypt's false claims that their repression is linked to counterterrorism. France knows this is untrue.
The human rights defenders Macron claims he freed ahead of Sisi visit were arrested after meeting with many western diplomats including French. Their arrests had nothing to do with counterterrorism. Their work exposes discrimination against LGBTQ Egyptians & religious minorities
Indeed, under Sisi, crackdowns on LGBTQ Egyptians, religious minorities and atheists have intensified. If anything it is extremist views in the regime that is fueling part of the repression rather than extremism being the target of repression.
Despite this, these peaceful human rights defenders have been charged in terrorism courts in Egypt and while they are no longer being detained, they continue to face false charges and have had their assets frozen.
It's disappointing to see the hard won diplomatic victory of freeing 3 @EIPR staff, who should never have been arrested, be used by Macron to justify refusal to attach teeth to his alleged committment to improve rights situation in Egypt. Countless prisoners of conscience remain
Macron's claim that conditionality would be counterproductive & that progress can be made without it is discredited by over 7 years of prima facie evidence in which press freedoms & political freedoms have continued to deteriorate while western aid & weapons stream into Egypt
His claim that conditionality on weapons sales could destabilize Egypt is untenable. It contradicts what Macron rightly argued in his 2019 visit, that rights violations are damaging to Egypt's stability. Without conditionality there's no credible pressure for situation to improve
Moreover, many of the arms France sells to Egypt have no serious counterterrorism application. Advanced fighter jets and helicopter carriers are not counterterrorism tools. Other arms have been used against protestors. hrw.org/news/2019/01/2…
Egypt's increased arms purchases from France began after some restrictions on military aid from US following the massacre of protests at Rabaa in August of 2013. Egypt wanted to diversify its sources &, it would appear, rightly determined France would sell arms without scrutiny
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