Human Rights Commissioner concerned about the detention of civil rights activists in Egypt

BERLIN, Germany, October 30, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Christoph Strässer, the Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Aid, issued the following statement on 29 October 2014 on the re-arrest of 23 human rights defenders in Egypt, including prominent activists such as Alaa Abdel Fattah:

I am very concerned about the re-arrest of 23 civil rights activists in Egypt. We are of the opinion that these actions highlight the seriously misguided approach to human rights in Egypt, which includes restrictive provisions on the freedom of assembly, association and opinion. I therefore call on the Egyptian Government to implement the rights guaranteed in the Egyptian constitution in compliance with their international human rights obligations and appeal for the activists to be treated in accordance with international standards. I would also like to call to mind the many other civil rights activists and members of the opposition, some of whom have been detained for months without formal charges having been brought against them.