Thread by @HRW_Brussels

🔴Today the European Parliament Subcommittee on Human Rights is discussing #Cop27 and human rights in #Egypt.
📣@RPearshouse, @sana2 and @FreeRamyShaath are here to highlight the need for a free civil society in order to ensure meaningful climate action.
🧵...

@RPearshouse @sana2 @FreeRamyShaath First, @sana2, takes the floor.

Sana is an activist & sister of jailed human rights defender Alaa Abd-El Fattah who has been on a hunger strike for more than 200 days.

#FreeAlaa #SaveAlaa

@RPearshouse @sana2 @FreeRamyShaath Sanaa looks at Egypt's climate efforts, stating climate targets are NOT consistent with the Paris Agreement.

"The conversation at the parliament today can only happen because we're not in Egypt. Every egyptian that will come to COP will be vetted and will likely not speak out"

@RPearshouse @sana2 @FreeRamyShaath "If you are serious about serving the planet, you need to care about human rights."

Pressure works. Sanaa calls for Europe to raise its voice when engaging with Egyptian authorities.

@RPearshouse @sana2 @FreeRamyShaath 🔴Recently released after more than 2years in detention, political activist @FreeRamyShaath explains Egypts "3⃣ main lies" around its commitment for #COP27:

1⃣None of the national strategy for human rights has been implemented...

@RPearshouse @sana2 @FreeRamyShaath 2⃣ on the promised release of political prisoners: only some prisoners were released and most of them got re-arrested. Some of them are being kept in custody until Cop ends.

@RPearshouse @sana2 @FreeRamyShaath 3⃣Egyptian authorities claim that the new prisons guarantee better conditions for prisoners.

"That is a lie": the new prisons are even more isolated from the outer world not guaranteeing access to recreation space, prisoners' family, or a judge.

@RPearshouse @sana2 @FreeRamyShaath "The problem is a military dictatorship and the only mean of governance they understand is oppression" @FreeRamyShaath

@RPearshouse @sana2 @FreeRamyShaath 🔴Environment Director at @hrw, @RPearshouse now highlights how Egypt is trying to greenwash its own image through #COP27.

⚠️That's because "#Egypt is losing the battle of narrative on its human rights records"

@RPearshouse @sana2 @FreeRamyShaath @hrw 💡All info on Egypt's crackdown on civil society, incl. intelligent services harassment, travel bans, red tape to register environmental orgs available here ➡️hrw.org/news/2022/09/1…

When you want to work on climate "you either stop working on these issues, or you go into exile"

@RPearshouse @sana2 @FreeRamyShaath @hrw Why does it matter? The Egytpian goernment wants to force the world to choose between human right issues and progress on climate action.

‼️ That is a false disctinction. More on this here:
theguardian.com/environment/20…

@RPearshouse @sana2 @FreeRamyShaath @hrw .@RPearshouse welcomes the @Europarl_EN efforts to link these issues, showing that climate action can be pushed at the same time as human rights issues in Egypt⤵️

https://twitter.com/ClaFrancavilla/status/1583058369593585665

@RPearshouse @sana2 @FreeRamyShaath @hrw @Europarl_EN 🇪🇺 MEP @NachoSAmor "let’s stop giving any credibility to Egypt's time-wasting human rights strategy"

He requests the release of prisoners, and hope to turns these event as a moment to examine human rights situations in the country.

@RPearshouse @sana2 @FreeRamyShaath @hrw @Europarl_EN @NachoSAmor 🇪🇺 MEP @MounirSatouri : "We will not stop fighting until @sana2's brother is released"

❌The cancellation of the parliament's trip to Egypt by Egyptian authorities is a proof that its communication does not reflect the truth.

@RPearshouse @sana2 @FreeRamyShaath @hrw @Europarl_EN @NachoSAmor @MounirSatouri He reminds that "it doesn't make sense to save the 🌍if men and women are deprived of their rights."

NGOs are central to put the right pressure on decision makers at every COP. 🇪🇬 civil society should be guaranteed a free voice & protected from retaliation after the event.

@RPearshouse @sana2 @FreeRamyShaath @hrw @Europarl_EN @NachoSAmor @MounirSatouri .@MiguelUrban underlines the severity of the current human rights repression in Egypt: #COP27 bears the risk of greenwashing&covering up previous human rights violations.

@Europarl_EN shld PUBLICLY ask to free all political prisoners; "we need environmentalists in the streets!"

@RPearshouse @sana2 @FreeRamyShaath @hrw @Europarl_EN @NachoSAmor @MounirSatouri @MiguelUrban 🔴@sana2 reminds that she, too, faced terrorism charges. These are used to repress civil society and human rights defenders. Her brother is used by the government as an example to suppress activism.

📢She calls to #SaveAlaa #FreeAlaa