The National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) submitted its annual report to President Hosni Mubarak and to the speakers of the People’s Assembly and Shura Council last month. The report outlines the current state of human rights in Egypt and offers recommendations for its betterment.
Sources said that some council members were unaware that the report had been submitted to the president’s office. After discussing the report last month, council members had not been provided with copies of the document to prevent its contents from being leaked to the media.
Sources add that the NCHR report contains a number of recommendations, including the replacement of Egypt’s longstanding state of emergency with anti-terrorism legislation, and the amendment of certain laws so as to bring them in line with international human rights standards. It also contains a copy of a report sent last month to the UN’s International Human Rights Council.
Council member Mohamed Fayeq dismissed criticisms that the annual report merely reiterated previous recommendations. "We only repeated those recommendations that have not yet been responded to," he said.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
