US joins West in rare criticism of Egypt on human rights abuses

Dozens of countries urge Egypt to end the prosecution of activists and stop using anti-terror laws to muzzle critics.

The United States has joined Western countries in urging Egypt to end the prosecution of activists, journalists and perceived political opponents under “counterterrorism” laws in a rare criticism of the Middle East country at the United Nations human rights agency. The US, which has observer status at the UN Human Rights Council, was among 31 signatories of the joint statement on Egypt, the first since 2014, which called on the government to lift curbs on freedoms of expression and assembly. Friday’s statement demanded in particular that Egypt end the use of “terrorism” charges to hold human rights defenders and civil society activists in extended pre-trial detention.