WASHINGTON (Middle East Eye) – A group of expatriate Egyptian politicians and political activists are urging the US, UN and multinational bodies in Europe and Africa to pressure the Egyptian government to stop the execution of a dozen members of the Muslim Brotherhood.
The Egyptian National Action Group (ENAG), a group of exiled politicians, sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Josep Borrell, the high representative of the European Union for foreign affairs and security policy, calling on them to intervene in the case.
“It is your moral duty to use of your influence as the European Union’s High Representative to prevent [President Abdel Fattah] el-Sisi’s regime from using the death penalty and life imprisonment against political dissidents,” read the letter, sent by former Egyptian presidential candidate Ayman Nour and Egypt’s ex-investment minister Yehia Hamed.
Meanwhile, members of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) sent a letter to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, urging the continental body to also intervene.
The letter requested “urgent action by the African Commission to avoid irreparable harm to the individuals’ rights under the African Charter, particularly the right to life and integrity of person”.
“It is submitted that the 12 individuals are at risk of imminent execution, and therefore irreparable violation to their fundamental right to life and to human dignity, and that urgent action by the African Commission is required to avoid irreparable harm to the individuals’ rights.”
The FJP argues that, with Egypt being a member of the African Union and its human rights commission, the body has jurisdiction to involve itself in the case and stop the executions.