Amnesty warns Cairo against asylum law

Amnesty International says President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi must not ratify the new asylum law approved by Parliament, which, if enacted, would further undermine refugee rights in Egypt amid the ongoing crackdown on people seeking protection and safety in the country. Parliament last month approved the country's first asylum law, which restricts the right to seek asylum, lacks due process guarantees and shifts the responsibility for registering asylum seekers and determining their refugee status from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to the Egyptian Government. The law, which does not explicitly prohibit refoulement, comes against the backdrop of Egyptian police and the EU-funded Border Guard Forces carrying out mass arrests and unlawful deportations of Sudanese refugees who crossed into Egypt seeking safety from the raging armed conflict in Sudan. ‘The Egyptian Government must not seek to bypass its obligations under international human rights and refugee law with domestic legislation that would facilitate further abuses against refugees and asylum seekers. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi must return this deeply flawed law to Parliament for meaningful consultations with the refugee community, human rights organisations and other key stakeholders, before amending the law to bring it in line with Egypt's international obligations,’ said Mahmoud Shalaby, Amnesty International's Egypt Researcher. Shalaby said the EU, as a close partner with Egypt on migration, must urge the Egyptian Government to introduce amendments ensuring that the human rights of refugees and asylum seekers are protected. ‘To avoid the risk of being complicit in violations against refugees in Egypt, the EU must also ensure that any migration co-operation with Egypt includes human rights safeguards and follows rigorous human rights risk assessments on the impact of any agreements,’ he added. The UNHCR has been registering asylum seekers and conducting refugee status determination in Egypt since 1954.

Amnesty International statement