EU Parliament calls for 'restrictive measures' against Egypt

By Rabia Iclal Turan

ANKARA (AA) - The European Parliament on Friday adopted a resolution calling for restrictive measures against Egypt in view of its grave human rights violations.

The parliament called on the EU high representative and member states to respond to Egypt's human rights violations in a “unified and resolute manner” as well as consider targeted restrictive measures against high-level Egyptian officials.

“The human rights situation in Egypt has continued to deteriorate as authorities intensify their crackdown on civil society, human rights defenders, health workers, journalists, opposition members, academics and lawyers,” the parliament said in the document.

It also called on the EU member states not to “give awards to leaders responsible for human rights violations".

In a controversial three-day visit to Paris last week, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who came to power in 2013 through a coup, was awarded the prestigious Legion of Honor by French President Emmanuel Macron.

Expressing “strong political and human support” to the family of slain Italian researcher Giulio Regeni, the European Parliament also urged Egyptian authorities to “fully cooperate with Italian judicial authorities”.

Regeni, 28, was an Italian researcher and doctorate student in Egypt, who went missing on Jan. 25, 2016. Nine days later, the researcher's naked body was found in a ditch on a highway in Cairo.

Rome prosecutor’s office earlier this month requested trial for four Egyptian officers, including a general.

The parliament also called for more transparency on all forms of financial support or training by the EU institutions, including the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Investment Bank to Egypt (EIB).

The European Parliament repeated the previous calls for the release of three senior staff members of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) and Egyptian human rights defenders who were incarcerated after meeting diplomats.

It also expressed “deep concern” for the detainees and prisoners held in “overcrowded places of detention, in abysmal conditions”, especially during the coronavirus pandemic.