HRW urges Cairo to address rights abuses

An international rights group has urged Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi to prioritise reforms aimed at ending human rights abuses during his second, four-year term in office. Human Rights Watch (HRW) also called on the country’s allies to push al-Sisi to end a crackdown on NGOs, halt forced disappearances, release political prisoners and journalists, and protect minorities. The government has outlawed unauthorised protests, jailed thousands of Islamists as well as several prominent secular activists, and blocked hundreds of independent websites. Cairo has justified the measures by saying it is trying to restore stability after years of unrest and combat an Isis insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula.

Full HRW report