Environmentalist and HR Activists React To Egypt COP27 Summit Venue Over Human Rights Violations

Prisoners of conscience is a reality in Egypt, a country that has been chosen as the venue for the COP27 Summit. But environmentalists and human rights activists are wondering how these aspects can be ignored and the country favored to be the venue?

There is gross violation of human rights ongoing for years where thousands of prisoners of conscience are awaiting justice, locked up in prisons in inhuman living conditions. According to a report filed by the Amnesty International in January 2021, ‘prison officials in Egypt have subjected prisoners of conscience and others held for political reasons to torture, cruel and inhuman conditions of detention and are deliberately denying them health care to punish dissent, Amnesty International said in a new damning report today highlighting how prison authorities’ callousness has led or contributed to deaths in custody and irreparable harm to prisoners’ health’.

Many activists are now of the belief that this event would lead to a convenient white washing of the heinous crimes committed against prisoners of conscience who have held independent social, religious or political belief systems.

Counting towards 100 days to the COP27 event, the Freealla.net has signed a petition and written a letter demanding an explanation as to why should Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt be chosen as a viable venue. Together signed by Naomi Klein, Bill McKibben and the Green party MP Caroline Lucas amongst others, the letter on the website says, ‘If COP27 is to succeed, the visibility and positive pressure created by civic mobilisation will be vital - that must include full rights to freedom of assembly, association, and expression around the conference, including for Egyptian civil society activists and journalists who are currently facing harsh repression for exercising these human rights.’  Egypt says it has freed some and will allow protests at the event. But that does solve the problem. According to the signatories, if Egypt was genuinely committed to the cause of COP27, it would free all.

Other potential Cop27 participants, including advisers to the White House, climate activists and rights groups, have also spoken of their fears that hosting the vital talks in Egypt amid the country’s crackdown on civil liberties will render the conference ineffective, particularly in a moment when the world faces increased pressure to act on global warming.