News / Egypt

Amnesty International: Rise in executions in Egypt in past two months

Wednesday, 02 December 2020 5:21 PM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 02 December 2020 5:21 PM ]

Protesters chant slogans as they take part in a protest calling for the removal of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in downtown Cairo, Egypt, September 20, 2019. (Photo by AFP)

Egypt executed 57 men and women in October and November, nearly double the 32 people reported in the whole of 2019, Amnesty International says.

At least 15 of those executed had been sentenced to death in cases related to political violence following what Amnesty called unfair trials, the London-based human rights group said in a report on Wednesday.

"The Egyptian authorities have embarked on a horrifying execution spree in recent months, putting scores of people to death, in some cases following grossly unfair mass trials," said Philip Luther, Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Research and Advocacy Director.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has said there are no political prisoners in Egypt and that stability and security are paramount.

Egyptian courts have sentenced some 3,000 people to death since 2014, when Sisi took power, according to the Arab Network for Human Rights Information, an independent organization that documents human rights violations in the Middle East and North Africa.

That compares with fewer than 800 death sentences in the previous six years, according to Amnesty International.

(Source: Reuters)

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