Mubarak’s visit in Washington: a chance for human rights in Egypt
Read Human Rights First’s Neil Hick’s piece in the Huffington Post reflecting on the Obama Administration approach to Egypt, and looking back at some of Bush Administration policy.
He advises:
President Obama should seek assurances from President Mubarak that: the
forthcoming elections will feature credible independent supervision of the
election process, especially in view of the fact that 2007 amendments to the
Constitution have removed the judiciary from its former supervisory role; that
the basic rights of the independent civil society activists to monitor and
comment on the elections will be upheld; and, that the rights of opposition
candidates to contest the elections free from harassment and official
obstruction will be respected. President Obama should urge President Mubarak to
invite reputable international election monitoring organizations to conduct
evaluations in Egypt that would assist in identifying problems, support the work
of local monitors and lay the groundwork for further improvements in the years
ahead.
