UN concerned about Egypt rights abuses

UN Assistant Secretary-General for human rights expressed concern about human rights abuses and lack of respect for the rule of law in Egypt and said that UN chief Ban Ki-moon had raised concerns especially about the death sentences of dozens of defendants, including the country’s first freely elected President Mohamed Morsi.

According to Simonovic, the mass criminal proceedings were not befitting rule of law standards and criteria. He also expressed sadness to see the Arab spring stuck in a situation marked by right abuses.

Morsi, whose election in 2012 followed the Arab Spring struggle for democracy, was ousted by a coup led by current President Abdel Fattah Sisi in July 2013.

Since then, the military-backed authorities have launched a massive crackdown on Morsi supporters, with scores of defendants handed long-term prison terms or the death penalty.