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110-687: Following the 2011 Egyptian revolution , the head of the SSI was arrested under suspicion of ordering the killings of demonstrators. On March 15, 2011, the Ministry of the Interior announced the dissolution of the agency. The service was replaced by (or renamed) the Egyptian Homeland Security after the 2013 Egyptian coup d'état . Originally formed during the colonial era in 1913 as the Intelligence wing of

220-485: A Sunni terrorist group. A former leader of al-Qaeda Ayman al-Zawahiri mentioned this killing: "Ra'uf Khayrat was one of the most dangerous officers in the State Security Intelligence Department who fought the fundamentalists. He adopted several strict security precautions, such as changing his residence every few months, keeping his home unguarded, and driving his car personally to look like he

330-617: A bottle. On 12 August, the same blogger posted two videos of alleged police torture of a man in a Port Said police station by the head of investigations, Mohammed Abu Ghazala. There was no indication that the government investigated either case." The deployment of Baltageya ( Arabic : بلطجية )—plainclothes police—by the NDP was a hallmark of the Mubarak government. The Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights documented 567 cases of torture, including 167 deaths, by police from 1993 to 2007. Excessive force

440-582: A gesture to a new beginning, protesters cleaned up and renovated Tahrir Square (the epicenter of the demonstrations); however, many pledged to continue protesting until all demands had been met. 17 February : The army said that it would not field a candidate in the upcoming presidential elections. Four important figures in the former regime were arrested that day: former interior minister Habib el-Adly , former minister of housing Ahmed Maghrabi , former tourism minister H.E. Zuheir Garana and steel tycoon Ahmed Ezz . 2 March : The constitutional referendum

550-829: A global network of non-governmental organizations that monitor censorship worldwide. It also co-founded the Cluster Munition Coalition , which brought about an international convention banning the weapons. HRW employs more than 275 staff—country experts, lawyers, journalists, and academics—and operates in more than 90 countries around the world. Headquartered in New York City , it has offices in Amsterdam , Beirut , Berlin , Brussels , Chicago , Geneva , Johannesburg , London , Los Angeles , Nairobi , Seoul , Paris , San Francisco , Sydney , Tokyo , Toronto , Washington, D.C. , and Zürich . HRW maintains direct access to

660-531: A mass membership, as AI is, HRW depends on wealthy donors who like to see the organization's reports make headlines. For this reason, according to Foreman, it may be that organizations like HRW "concentrate too much on places that the media already cares about," especially Israel. For the financial year ending June 2008, HRW reported receiving approximately US$ 44 million in public donations. In 2009, HRW said it received almost 75% of its financial support from North America, 25% from Western Europe and less than 1% from

770-621: A new "National Security Sector" to take over SSIS's counter-terrorism and other domestic-security responsibilities. Officials from the service complained that during Mohamed Morsi's year in office, the Muslim Brotherhood had access to its files and created security breaches. Due to its efforts of bringing back the security during the Islamist unrest, the agency has gained much of the previous agency's lost respect in Egypt according to Sarah El Deeb of

880-637: A permanent access to attend the organization's assemblies. Bahrain held the IPU Meeting from 11–15 March 2023. Pursuant to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), Human Rights Watch opposes violations of what the UDHR considers basic human rights . This includes capital punishment and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation . HRW advocates freedoms in connection with fundamental human rights, such as freedom of religion and freedom of

990-624: A range of socio-economic and religious backgrounds demanded the overthrow of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak . Violent clashes between security forces and protesters resulted in at least 846 people killed and over 6,000 injured. Protesters retaliated by burning over 90 police stations across the country. The Egyptian protesters' grievances focused on legal and political issues, including police brutality , state-of-emergency laws, lack of political freedom , civil liberty, freedom of speech , corruption, high unemployment, food-price inflation and low wages. The protesters' primary demands were

1100-562: A report accusing Israel of apartheid and calling on the International Criminal Court to investigate "systematic discrimination" against Palestinians, becoming the first major international rights NGO to do so. In August 2020, the Chinese government sanctioned HRW executive director Kenneth Roth—along with the heads of four other U.S.-based democracy and human rights organizations and six U.S. Republican lawmakers—for supporting

1210-506: A result of the Chinese sanctions, with the situation in Hong Kong henceforth to be monitored by HRW's China team. The decision to leave came amid a wider crackdown on civil society groups in Hong Kong. On 8 March 2023, Bahrain canceled two HRW staff members' entry permit visas to attend the 146th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly. The permits were issued on 30 January 2023. Holding a constant observer status with IPU, HRW authorities had

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1320-576: A score of 3.1 based on perceptions by business people and analysts of the degree of corruption (with 10 being clean, and 0 totally corrupt). To prepare for the possible overthrow of Mubarak, opposition groups studied Gene Sharp 's work on nonviolent action and worked with leaders of Otpor , the student-led Serbian organisation . Copies of Sharp's list of 198 non-violent "weapons", translated into Arabic and not always attributed to him, were circulated in Tahrir Square during its occupation. Following

1430-494: A series of popular elections, with Egyptians electing Islamist Mohamed Morsi to the presidency in June 2012, after winning the election over Ahmed Shafik. However, the Morsi government encountered fierce opposition after his attempt to pass an Islamic-leaning constitution. Morsi also issued a temporary presidential decree that raised his decisions over judicial review to enable the passing of

1540-405: A small number of Egyptians who were informants. The publishing of these names posed a moral dilemma for some of the protesters, balancing the danger the informants would be put under against anger at having been spied on. On 15 March 2011, SSIS was dissolved by Interior Minister Mansour el-Essawy in response to the revelations of the previous weeks. He also announced plans for the establishment of

1650-658: Is a qualified social worker who has worked with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), Save the Children , and most recently as director of Amnesty International 's Crisis Response Program. Hassan holds honors degrees in social work and law from Australia and a master's degree in international human rights law from Oxford University . Human Rights watch and Amnesty International are both international non-governmental organizations headquartered in

1760-467: Is biased against Israel in its coverage of the Israel–Palestine conflict . In 2014, two Nobel Peace Laureates , Adolfo Pérez Esquivel and Mairead Maguire , wrote a letter signed by 100 other human rights activists and scholars criticizing HRW for its revolving-door hiring practices with the U.S. government, its failure to denounce the U.S. practice of extrajudicial rendition , its endorsement of

1870-486: Is dangerous and untenable." Others believed that Egypt was not ready for revolution, citing little aspiration by the Egyptian people, low educational levels and a strong government with military support. The BBC said, "The simple fact is that most Egyptians do not see any way that they can change their country or their lives through political action, be it voting, activism, or going out on the streets to demonstrate." After

1980-532: Is found. In late 2010, about 40 per cent of Egypt's population lived on the equivalent of roughly US$ 2 per day, with a large portion relying on subsidised goods. According to the Peterson Institute for International Economics and other proponents of demographic structural approach ( cliodynamics ), a basic problem in Egypt is unemployment driven by a demographic youth bulge ; with the number of new people entering

2090-546: The 25 January Revolution ( Arabic : ثورة ٢٥ يناير , romanized :  Thawrat khamsa wa-ʿišrūn yanāyir ;), began on 25 January 2011 and spread across Egypt . The date was set by various youth groups to coincide with the annual Egyptian "Police holiday" as a statement against increasing police brutality during the last few years of Hosni Mubarak 's presidency. It consisted of demonstrations, marches, occupations of plazas, non-violent civil resistance , acts of civil disobedience and strikes . Millions of protesters from

2200-611: The Arab Socialist Union operated as the sole political party in Egypt. Under Sadat, the multi-party system during the monarchy was reintroduced but the National Democratic Party (which evolved from Nasser’s Arab Socialist Union ) remained dominant in Egypt’s politics and there were restrictions on opposition parties. Mubarak's National Democratic Party (NDP) maintained one-party rule. His government received support from

2310-684: The Associated Press . The SSI was a branch of the Interior Ministry in Egypt with an official aim of protecting the security of Egypt. The SSI had many official bureaus that provide its public face: an "Investigative Bureau" in the Lazoghli section of Cairo , a "Supreme State Security Court" in Giza , a "Supreme State Security Prosecution" ( Niyabat Amn al-Dawl a al-'Ulya ), etc. A diplomatic cable sent in 2007 published by The Daily Telegraph as part of

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2420-752: The Ministry of Interior . Protesters also demanded the resignation of the Minister of Interior, an end to State corruption, the end of emergency law and presidential term limits for the president. Many political movements, opposition parties and public figures supported the day of revolt, including Youth for Justice and Freedom, the Coalition of the Youth of the Revolution , the Popular Democratic Movement for Change,

2530-628: The National Police , the service was reformed and reorganized following the 1952 coup d'état to suit the security concerns of the new socialist regime. The State Security apparatus was made a separate branch of the Interior Ministry , separate from the regular Police command, and was focused intensively on political threats to the State's security, particularly those emanating from communist, socialist, and Islamist opposition sources. The State Security

2640-540: The Nobel Peace Prize as a founding member of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines . It played a leading role in the 2008 treaty banning cluster munitions . HRW's annual expenses totaled $ 50.6 million in 2011, $ 69.2 million in 2014, and $ 75.5 million in 2017. Human Rights Watch was co-founded by Robert L. Bernstein , Jeri Laber , and Aryeh Neier as a private American NGO in 1978, under

2750-870: The Revolutionary Socialists and the National Association for Change . The April 6 Youth Movement was a major supporter of the protest, distributing 20,000 leaflets saying "I will protest on 25 January for my rights". The Ghad El-Thawra Party , Karama , Wafd and Democratic Front supported the protests. The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest opposition group, confirmed on 23 January that it would participate. Public figures, including novelist Alaa Al Aswany , writer Belal Fadl and actors Amr Waked and Khaled Aboul Naga , announced that they would participate. The leftist National Progressive Unionist Party (the Tagammu ) said that it would not participate, and

2860-753: The Rwandan genocide of 1994, the Democratic Republic of the Congo , and the excessive breadth of U.S. sex offender registries and their application to juveniles. In the summer of 2004, the Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Columbia University in New York became the depository institution for the Human Rights Watch Archive, an active collection that documents decades of human rights investigations around

2970-598: The Sadat and Mubarak eras, the agency continued its focus on radical Islamists but eased up on the suppression of the Liberal opposition. The SSIS excelled in planting moles and infiltrators within Islamist groups, a practice that would later be carried out with ruthless efficiency by the agency's trainees in Algeria and Syria. Torture was rampantly used during interrogation. Detainees were regularly beaten to death, and sexual penetration

3080-729: The Soviet Union drastically improved, the SSIS was intensively trained by the Soviet State Security apparatus on political suppression, infiltration, public surveillance, public intimidation, and coercive interrogation . These newly learned techniques were often used against suspects of the Lavon Affair . State Security officers were sent to the Soviet Union to undergo training under the KGB . During

3190-479: The assassination of Anwar Sadat in 1981. He inherited an authoritarian system from Sadat which was imposed in 1952 following the coup against King Farouk . The coup in 1952 led to the abolishment of the monarchy and Egypt became a one party and military dominated state. Nasser who was a member of the Free Officers became the second President of Egypt following the resignation of Muhammad Naguib and under his rule,

3300-644: The illegal abduction of Egyptian-born cleric Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr , also known as Abu Omar, from the streets of Milan on February 17, 2003 have said that his final disposition, after a flight from Aviano to Ramstein and then from Ramstein to Alexandria, was into the hands of the SSI. At least one of the CIA officials named in the indictment, Robert Seldon Lady , is said to have accompanied Omar to Egypt, and to have spent two weeks in Cairo assisting in Omar's interrogation. One of

3410-514: The leak of classified US diplomatic cables discussed what the then SSI head called the "excellent and strong" cooperation between the SSI and the United States FBI . The cable also discussed the benefit the SSI derived from training opportunities at the FBI's Quantico, Virginia headquarters. Major General Ra'uf Khayrat, an assistant director of SSI. 9 April 1994 he was killed in front of his home by

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3520-458: The self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi in Tunisia on 17 December, a man set himself afire on 18 January in front of the Egyptian parliament and five more attempts followed. On 17 January, Abdou Abdel Monaam, a baker, also set himself on fire to protest a law that prevented restaurant owners from buying subsidised bread, leading him to buy bread at the regular price – which is five times higher than

3630-658: The 1960s, the SSIS forged new ties with the State Security apparatus of East Germany , which took SSIS competence against political subversion to an extremely competent level. Recruits were carefully screened and selected on the basis of political reliability, and practicing Muslims were virtually barred during the Nasser era. Officers were mostly recruited from the military and the regular Police , who had proven their political reliability. Candidates had to be recommended by loyal Police officers and serving State Security officers. During

3740-454: The 2005 elections. According to a 2007 UN survey, voter turnout was extremely low (about 25 per cent) because of a lack of trust in the political system. The population of Egypt grew from 30,083,419 in 1966 to roughly 79,000,000 by 2008. The vast majority of Egyptians live near the banks of the Nile , in an area of about 40,000 square kilometers (15,000 sq mi) where the only arable land

3850-505: The Ahmed Nazif government. Ahmed Ezz monopolised the steel industry, with more than 60 per cent of market share. Aladdin Elaasar, an Egyptian biographer and American professor, estimated that the Mubarak family was worth from $ 50 to $ 70 billion. The wealth of former NDP secretary Ezz was estimated at E£ 18 billion ; the wealth of former housing minister Ahmed al-Maghraby

3960-560: The Coptic Church urged Christians not to participate in the protests. Twenty-six-year-old Asmaa Mahfouz was instrumental in sparking the protests. In a video blog posted a week before National Police Day, she urged the Egyptian people to join her on 25 January in Tahrir Square to bring down the Mubarak regime. Mahfouz's use of video blogging and social media went viral and urged people not to be afraid. The Facebook group for

4070-466: The Egyptian media, since there were apparently no other heirs to the presidency. Bashar al-Assad 's rise to power in Syria in June 2000, after the death of his father Hafez , sparked debate in the Egyptian press about the prospects for a similar scenario in Cairo. During the years after Mubarak's 2005 re-election , several left- and right-wing (primarily unofficial) political groups expressed opposition to

4180-462: The HRW archive are not open to researchers or to the public, including the records of the meetings of the board of directors, the executive committee, and the various subcommittees, limiting historians' ability to understand the organization's internal decision-making. HRW has been criticized for perceived bias by the national governments it has investigated for human rights abuses. Some sources allege HRW

4290-515: The Hong Kong pro-democracy movement in the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests . The five organizations' leaders saw the sanctioning, whose details were unspecified, as a tit-for-tat measure in response to the earlier U.S. sanctioning of 11 Hong Kong officials. The latter step had in turn been a reaction to the enactment of the Hong Kong National Security Law in June. In October 2021, The New York Times reported that HRW left Hong Kong as

4400-519: The Human Rights Watch the following day, since 25 January. Wael Ghonim, Google executive and creator of the page We are all Khaled Said , was reported missing and the company asked the public to help find him. 6 February 2011 : An interfaith service was held with Egyptian Christians and Muslims in Tahrir Square. Negotiations by Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman and opposition representatives began during continuing protests throughout

4510-567: The Mubarak government pursued economic reform to attract foreign investment and increase GDP, later postponing further reforms because of the Great Recession . The international economic downturn slowed Egypt's GDP growth to 4.5 per cent in 2009. In 2010, analysts said that the government of Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif would need to resume economic reform to attract foreign investment, increase growth and improve economic conditions. Despite recent high national economic growth, living conditions for

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4620-481: The Nasser era, the State Security apparatus often harassed Egypt's Jewish community . Jewish properties were infiltrated by State Security agents during mid-night and thousands of Jews in Egypt were arrested and tortured by the agency, many were also subjected to sexual abuse and some Jewish women were raped. Jewish neighborhoods across Egypt were also under mass surveillance from the State Security. The State Security

4730-913: The North Atlantic Anglosphere that report on global human rights violations. The major differences lie in the groups' structures and methods for promoting change. Amnesty International is a mass-membership organization. Mobilization of those members is the organization's central advocacy tool. Human Rights Watch's main products are its crisis-directed research and lengthy reports, whereas Amnesty International lobbies and writes detailed reports but also focuses on mass letter-writing campaigns, adopting individuals as " prisoners of conscience " and lobbying for their release. HRW openly lobbies for specific actions for other governments to take against human rights offenders, including naming specific individuals for arrest, or sanctions to be levied against certain countries, such as calling for punitive sanctions against

4840-522: The Supreme Council of Egyptian Armed Forces with the leadership of the country. 13 February 2011 : The Supreme Council dissolved Egypt's parliament and suspended the constitution in response to demands by demonstrators. The council declared that it would wield power for six months, or until elections could be held. Calls were made for the council to provide details and more-specific timetables and deadlines. Major protests subsided, but did not end. In

4950-517: The U.S. 2011 military intervention in Libya , and its silence during the 2004 Haitian coup d'état . In 2020, HRW's board of directors discovered that HRW accepted a $ 470,000 donation from Saudi real estate magnate Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber , owner of a company HRW "had previously identified as complicit in labor rights abuse", under the condition that the donation not be used to support LGBT advocacy in

5060-563: The War on Terror, the United States used to send terrorists to the State Security in Egypt for interrogation that included methods of torture. It's also been alleged that several Egyptian State Security agents have travelled to Cuba during the Mubarak era to torture detainees at the Guantanamo Bay and trained U.S. soldiers on torturing techniques against detainees. Italian authorities investigating

5170-504: The West and aid from the United States by its suppression of Islamic militants and maintaining the peace treaty with Israel . Mubarak was often compared to an Egyptian pharaoh by the media and some critics, due to his authoritarian rule. He was in the 30th year of his reign when the 2011 uprising began. Most causes of the revolution against Mubarak—inherited power, corruption, under-development, unemployment, unfair distribution of wealth and

5280-510: The affected countries, Americas Watch also examined the role played by foreign governments, particularly the United States government , in providing military and political support to abusive regimes. Asia Watch (1985), Africa Watch (1988) and Middle East Watch (1989) were added to what was known as "The Watch Committees". In 1988, these committees united under one umbrella to form Human Rights Watch. In April 2021, Human Rights Watch released

5390-508: The assassination of Sadat in 1981, pursuant to Law No. 162 of 1958 . A previous state of emergency was enacted in the 1967 Six-Day War before being lifted in 1980. Police powers were extended, constitutional rights and habeas corpus were effectively suspended and censorship was legalised as a result. The emergency law limited non-governmental political activity, including demonstrations , unapproved political organizations and unregistered financial donations. The Mubarak government cited

5500-477: The average Egyptian remained relatively poor (albeit better than other African nations with no significant social upheavals). Political corruption in the Mubarak administration's Interior Ministry rose dramatically, due to increased control of the system necessary to sustain his presidency. The rise to power of powerful businessmen in the NDP, the government and the House of Representatives led to public anger during

5610-596: The basis for drawing international attention to abuses and pressuring governments and international organizations to reform. Researchers conduct fact-finding missions to investigate suspect situations, also using diplomacy, staying in touch with victims, making files about public and individuals, providing required security for them in critical situations, and generating local and international media coverage. Issues HRW raises in its reports include social and gender discrimination , torture , military use of children , political corruption , abuses in criminal justice systems, and

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5720-481: The building in Alexandria on March 4, after clashing with security forces, and on March 5 others entered the headquarters in the central city of Assiut . In Cairo, another building breached was in 6th of October City , where "some of the most incriminating documents have already been destroyed." McClatchy Newspapers reported that, when there was much uncertainty about the validity of documents which emerged, "[p]erhaps

5830-526: The buildings to secure documents they believed prove crimes by the SSI against the people of Egypt during Mubarak's rule. 6 March : From the Nasr City headquarters, protesters acquired evidence of mass surveillance and vote-rigging, noting rooms full of videotapes, piles of shredded and burned documents and cells in which activists recounted their experiences of detention and torture. 19 March : The constitutional referendum passed with 77.27 per cent of

5940-621: The chaos, there was looting by rioters which was instigated (according to opposition sources) by plainclothes police officers. In response, watch groups were organised by civilian vigilantes to protect their neighborhoods. On 11 February 2011, Vice President Omar Suleiman announced that Mubarak resigned as president, turning power over to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF). The military junta, headed by effective head of state Muhammad Tantawi , announced on 13 February that

6050-493: The constitution is suspended, both houses of parliament dissolved and the military would govern for six months (until elections could be held). The previous cabinet, including Prime Minister Ahmed Shafik , would serve as a caretaker government until a new one was formed. After the revolution against Mubarak and a period of rule by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces , the Muslim Brotherhood took power in Egypt through

6160-482: The constitution. It sparked general outrage from secularists and members of the military, and a revolution broke out against his rule on 28 June 2013. On 3 July 2013, Morsi was deposed following the army's intervention on the side of the revolution. The move was led by the minister of defense, General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi , as millions of Egyptians took to the streets in support of early elections. Sisi went on to become Egypt's president after an election in 2014 which

6270-579: The country. Police arrested many activists. 27 January 2011 : The government shuts down four major ISPs at approximately 5:20 p.m. EST. disrupting Internet traffic and telephone services 28 January 2011 : The "Friday of Anger" protests began, with hundreds of thousands demonstrating in Cairo and other Egyptian cities after Friday prayers. Opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei arrived in Cairo amid reports of looting. Prisons were opened and burned down, allegedly on orders from Interior Minister Habib El Adly. Prison inmates escaped en masse , in what

6380-406: The country. The Egyptian army assumed greater security responsibilities, maintaining order and guarding The Egyptian Museum of Antiquity . Suleiman offered reforms, while others in Mubarak's regime accused foreign nations (including the U.S.) of interfering in Egypt's affairs. 10 February 2011 : Mubarak addressed the Egyptian people amid speculation of a military coup. Instead of resigning (which

6490-421: The current edition, World Report 2020 , was released in January 2020, and covers events of 2019. World Report 2020 , HRW's 30th annual review of human rights practices around the globe, includes reviews of human rights practices and trends in nearly 100 countries, and an introductory essay by Executive Director Kenneth Roth, "China's Global Threat to Human Rights". HRW has reported extensively on subjects such as

6600-605: The elections planned for September, but would remain in office to oversee a peaceful transition. Small-but-violent clashes began that night between pro- and anti-Mubarak groups. 2 February 2011 (Camel Incident) : Violence escalated as waves of Mubarak supporters met anti-government protesters; some Mubarak supporters rode camels and horses into Tahrir Square, reportedly wielding sticks. The attack resulted in 3 deaths and 600 injuries. Mubarak repeated his refusal to resign in interviews with several news agencies. Violence toward journalists and reporters escalated, amid speculation that it

6710-449: The end of the Mubarak regime. Strikes by labour unions added to the pressure on government officials. During the uprising, the capital, Cairo , was described as "a war zone" and the port city of Suez saw frequent violent clashes. Protesters defied a government-imposed curfew , which the police and military could not enforce in any case. Egypt's Central Security Forces , loyal to Mubarak, were gradually replaced by military troops. In

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6820-399: The event attracted 80,000 people. 25 January 2011 ("Day of Revolt") : Protests erupted throughout Egypt, with tens of thousands gathering in Cairo and thousands more in other Egyptian cities. The protests targeted the Mubarak government; while mostly non-violent, there were some reports of civilian and police casualties. 26 January 2011 : Civil unrest in Suez and other areas throughout

6930-657: The five years before the revolution, the Mubarak regime denied the existence of torture or abuse by police. However, claims by domestic and international groups provided cellphone videos or first-hand accounts of hundreds of cases of police brutality. According to the 2009 Human Rights Report from the U.S. State Department, "Domestic and international human rights groups reported that the Ministry of Interior (MOI) State Security Investigative Service (SSIS), police, and other government entities continued to employ torture to extract information or force confessions. The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights documented 30 cases of torture during

7040-582: The infliction of which is reported to be facilitated by the lack of any mandatory inspection by an independent body of such premises." Human Rights Watch reported that "Egyptian authorities have a longstanding and well-documented record of engaging in arbitrary arrests, incommunicado detention, and torture and other ill-treatment of detainees," and that the SSI has in particular committed acts of torture and denied detainees fundamental human rights. A US diplomatic cable reported that police brutality and torture are "routine and pervasive". The cable also reported that

7150-407: The inheritance of power, demanded reforms and asked for a multi-candidate election. In 2006, with opposition increasing, Daily News Egypt reported an online campaign initiative (the National Initiative against Power Inheritance) demanding that Gamal reduce his power. The campaign said, "President Mubarak and his son constantly denied even the possibility of [succession]. However, in reality they did

7260-457: The internet, cell phones and satellite TV channels augmented mosques and Friday prayers, traditional means of mass communications. The mosques brought the Muslim Brotherhood to power, and the Brotherhood pressured all governments from 1928 through 2011 (as it had also done in neighboring countries). Mubarak's younger son, Gamal Mubarak , was rumoured in 2000 to succeed his father as the next president of Egypt. Gamal began receiving attention from

7370-443: The legalization of abortion . HRW has documented and reported various violations of the laws of war and international humanitarian law , most recently in Yemen. Human Rights Watch also supports writers worldwide who are persecuted for their work and in need of financial assistance. The Hellman/Hammett grants are financed by the estate of the playwright Lillian Hellman in funds set up in her name and that of her longtime companion,

7480-440: The major demands of protesters during the Egyptian revolution was the abolition of the State Security Investigations. Following the 25th of January 2011 Revolution, on the 4th & 5 March 2011, several SSI buildings were raided across Egypt by protesters. Protesters state they raided in the buildings to secure documents they believed to show various crimes committed by the SSI against the people of Egypt during Mubarak's rule. On

7590-401: The majority of countries it reports on. Cuba , North Korea , Sudan , Iran , Israel , Egypt , the United Arab Emirates , Uzbekistan and Venezuela are among the handful of countries that have blocked HRW staff members' access. HRW's former executive director is Kenneth Roth , who held the position from 1993 to 2022. Roth conducted investigations on abuses in Poland after martial law

7700-414: The maximum four as of 2016. The Better Business Bureau said HRW meets its standards for charity accountability. Some notable current and former staff members of Human Rights Watch: Human Rights Watch publishes reports on many different topics and compiles an annual World Report presenting an overview of the worldwide state of human rights. It has been published by Seven Stories Press since 2006;

7810-431: The morgue showed signs of torture. A Facebook page, "We are all Khaled Said", helped attract nationwide attention to the case. Mohamed ElBaradei , former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency , led a 2010 rally in Alexandria against police abuse, and visited Saeed's family to offer condolences. During the January–February 2011 protests, police brutality was common. Jack Shenker, a reporter for The Guardian ,

7920-469: The most controversial document to ricochet around Internet message boards was one that purport[ed] to lay out State Security's involvement in [the] deadly church bombing on New Year's Day in the port city of Alexandria. ... The legitimacy of the document hasn't been determined, but its distribution touched off protests Sunday in Cairo by hundreds of Coptic Christians." Other documents uncovered included names of judges involved in fixing elections and those of

8030-471: The name Helsinki Watch , to monitor the then- Soviet Union 's compliance with the Helsinki Accords . Helsinki Watch adopted a practice of publicly " naming and shaming " abusive governments through media coverage and direct exchanges with policymakers. Helsinki Watch says that, by shining the international spotlight on human rights violations in the Soviet Union and its European partners, it contributed to

8140-529: The nation's wealth were businessmen with ties to the National Democratic Party: "Wealth fuels political power and political power buys wealth." During the 2010 elections , opposition groups complained about government harassment and fraud. Opposition and citizen activists called for changes to a number of legal and constitutional provisions affecting elections . In 2010, Transparency International 's Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) gave Egypt

8250-516: The night of 5 March in Cairo, "the sight of a dump truck emerging from the Cairo compound laden with shredded paper sent protesters into a fury, creating the momentum that drove the crowd past the army soldiers outside and into the hastily abandoned main building." Most notably at the Nasr City HQ in Cairo were many acquired documents which seemed to prove mass surveillance of citizens as well as torturing tools and secret cells. Protesters broke into

8360-616: The novelist Dashiell Hammett . In addition to providing financial assistance, the Hellman/Hammett grants help raise international awareness of activists who have been silenced for speaking out in defence of human rights. Each year, Human Rights Watch presents the Human Rights Defenders Award to activists who demonstrate leadership and courage in defending human rights. The award winners work closely with HRW to investigate and expose human rights abuses. Human Rights Watch

8470-455: The opposite, including amending the constitution to make sure that Gamal will be the only unchallenged candidate." During the decade, public perception grew that Gamal would succeed his father. He wielded increasing power as NDP deputy secretary general and chair of the party's policy committee. Analysts described Mubarak's last decade in power as "the age of Gamal Mubarak". With his father's health declining and no appointed vice-president, Gamal

8580-483: The organization has to be seen as more international, less an American organization." He continued, "Human Rights Watch is one of the most effective organizations I support. Human rights underpin our greatest aspirations: they're at the heart of open societies." The donation, the largest in HRW's history, increased its operating staff of 300 by 120 people. Charity Navigator gave HRW a three-star rating for 2018. Its financial rating increased from three stars in 2015 to

8690-463: The ousting of Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali after mass protests, many analysts (including former European Commission President Romano Prodi ) saw Egypt as the next country where such a revolution might occur. According to The Washington Post , "The Jasmine Revolution [...] should serve as a stark warning to Arab leaders – beginning with Egypt's 83-year-old Hosni Mubarak – that their refusal to allow more economic and political opportunity

8800-498: The presence of Israel—also existed in 1952 , when the Free Officers ousted King Farouk . A new cause of the 2011 revolution was the increase in population, which aggravated unemployment. During his presidency, Anwar Sadat neglected the modernisation of Egypt in contrast to his predecessor, Gamal Abdel Nasser , and his cronyism cost the country infrastructure industries which could generate new jobs. Communications media such as

8910-561: The press . It seeks to achieve change by publicly pressuring governments and their policymakers to curb human rights abuses, and by convincing more powerful governments to use their influence on governments that violate human rights. Human Rights Watch publishes research reports on violations of international human rights norms as set out by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and what it perceives to be other internationally accepted human-rights norms. These reports are used as

9020-412: The region's democratic transformations in the late 1980s. Americas Watch was founded in 1981 while bloody civil wars engulfed Central America. Relying on extensive on-the-ground fact-finding, Americas Watch not only addressed perceived abuses by government forces but also applied international humanitarian law to investigate and expose war crimes by rebel groups. In addition to raising concerns in

9130-526: The rest of the world. According to a 2008 financial assessment, HRW reports that it does not accept any direct or indirect funding from governments and is financed through contributions from private individuals and foundations. Financier George Soros of the Open Society Foundations announced in 2010 his intention to grant US$ 100 million to HRW over ten years to help it expand its efforts internationally: "to be more effective", he said, "I think

9240-493: The security services functioned as "instruments of power that serve and protect the regime". Both Egyptian and international human rights groups, as well as the United Nations Committee Against Torture, have documented widespread use of torture by the SSI, with Human Rights Watch singling out the SSI in what it called a "pervasive culture of impunity" with regard to torture. It's been alleged that during

9350-410: The subsidised. Mohammed Farouq Mohammed, who is a lawyer, also set himself afire in front of the parliament to protest his ex-wife, who did not allow him to see his daughters. In Alexandria, an unemployed man by the name of Ahmed Hashem Sayed also set himself on fire. Opposition groups planned a day of revolt for 25 January, coinciding with National Police Day , to protest police brutality in front of

9460-509: The threat of terrorism in extending the state of emergency, claiming that opposition groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood could gain power in Egypt if the government did not forge parliamentary elections and suppress the group through emergency law. This led to the imprisonment of activists without trial, illegal, undocumented and hidden detention facilities and the rejection of university, mosque and newspaper staff based on their political affiliation. A December 2010 parliamentary election

9570-752: The top leaders in Sudan who oversaw a killing campaign in Darfur . The group also called for human rights activists who had been detained in Sudan to be released. HRW's documentations of human rights abuses often include extensive analyses of conflicts' political and historical backgrounds, some of which have been published in academic journals. AI's reports, on the other hand, tend to contain less analysis, instead focusing on specific abuses of rights. In 2010, Jonathan Foreman wrote that HRW had "all but eclipsed" Amnesty International. According to Foreman, instead of being supported by

9680-526: The vote. Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch ( HRW ) is an international non-governmental organization , headquartered in New York City that conducts research and advocacy on human rights . The group pressures governments, policymakers, companies, and individual human rights abusers to denounce abuse and respect human rights, and often works on behalf of refugees, children, migrants, and political prisoners. In 1997, Human Rights Watch shared

9790-422: The workforce at about four per cent a year, unemployment in Egypt is almost 10 times as high for college graduates as for those who finished elementary school (particularly educated urban youth—the people who were in the streets during the revolution). Egypt's economy was highly centralised during the presidency of Gamal Abdel Nasser , becoming more market-driven under Anwar Sadat and Mubarak. From 2004 to 2008

9900-706: The world. The archive was transferred from the Norlin Library at the University of Colorado, Boulder . It includes administrative files, public relations documents, and case and country files. With some exceptions for security considerations, the Columbia University community and the public have access to field notes, taped and transcribed interviews with alleged victims of human rights violations, video and audiotapes, and other materials documenting HRW's activities since its founding in 1978 as Helsinki Watch. Some parts of

10010-435: The year 2009. In numerous trials defendants alleged that police tortured them during questioning. During the year activists and observers circulated some amateur cellphone videos documenting the alleged abuse of citizens by security officials. For example, on 8 February, a blogger posted a video of two police officers, identified by their first names and last initials, sodomizing a bound naked man named Ahmed Abdel Fattah Ali with

10120-570: Was an ordinary person with no connection to the authority. However, the Islamic Group colleagues managed to reach him. As he was emerging from his home and about to get into his car, one of the brother mujahidin approached him and threw a bomb inside his car, and he was killed instantly". A trial about the case of the Returnees from Albania in 1999 became the largest one since the assassination of Anwar Sadat . On November 23, 1985, EgyptAir Flight 648

10230-449: Was arrested during the Cairo protests on 26 January. He witnessed fellow Egyptian protesters being tortured, assaulted, and taken to undisclosed locations by police officers. Shenker and other detainees were released after covert intervention by Ayman Nour , the father of a fellow detainee. Corruption, coercion not to vote and manipulation of election results occurred during many elections over Mubarak's 30-year rule. Until 2005, Mubarak

10340-487: Was at times successful in catching Egyptian and Israeli Jews whom were spies for Israel and the agency managed to interrogate them using methods of torture to gather important information that helped decrease cases of spying. After 1963, Egyptian State Security officers were sent to Algeria , Syria , Yemen and Iraq to train the newly formed state security agencies of the Baathist and nationalist regimes of those countries. In

10450-692: Was believed to be an attempt to terrorise protesters. Police were withdrawn from the streets, and the military was deployed. International fears of violence grew, but no major casualties were reported. Mubarak made his first address to the nation, pledging to form a new government. Later that night clashes broke out in Tahrir Square between revolutionaries and pro-Mubarak demonstrators, leading to casualties. No fatalities have been reported in Cairo, however, 11 people were killed in Suez and another 170 were injured.1,030 people were reported injured nationwide. 29 January 2011 : The military presence in Cairo increased. A curfew

10560-661: Was boycotted by opposition parties. In Egypt and other parts of the Arab world, the protests and governmental changes are also known as the 25 January Revolution ( ثورة 25 يناير Thawrat 25 Yanāyir ), Revolution of Freedom ( ثورة حرية Thawrat Horeya ) or Revolution of Rage ( ثورة الغضب Thawrat al-Ġaḍab ), and, less frequently, the Youth Revolution ( ثورة الشباب Thawrat al-Shabāb ), Lotus Revolution ( ثورة اللوتس ) or White Revolution ( الثورة البيضاء al-Thawrah al-bayḍāʾ ). Hosni Mubarak became President of Egypt after

10670-404: Was considered Egypt's de facto president by some. Although Gamal and his father denied an inheritance of power, he was speculated as likely to be chosen as the NDP candidate in the presidential election scheduled for 2011, when Hosni Mubarak's presidential term was set to expire. However, Gamal ultimately declined to run following the 2011 protests. Egypt was under a state of emergency since

10780-459: Was declared 1981. He later focused on Haiti , which had just emerged from the Duvalier dictatorship but continued to be plagued with problems. Roth's awareness of the importance of human rights began with stories his father had told about escaping Nazi Germany in 1938. He graduated from Yale Law School and Brown University . Tirana Hassan became the group's executive director in 2023. Hassan

10890-427: Was encouraged by Mubarak to bring the protests to an end. The camel and horse riders later claimed that they were "good men", and they opposed the protests because they wanted tourists to come back to keep their jobs and feed their animals. The horse and camel riders deny that they were paid by anyone, though they said that they were told about the protests from a ruling party MP. Three hundred people were reported dead by

11000-399: Was estimated at more than E£11 billion ; that of former tourism minister Zuhair Garrana is estimated at E£13 billion ; former minister of trade and industry Rashid Mohamed Rashid is estimated to be worth E£12 billion , and former interior minister Habib al-Adly was estimated to be worth E£8 billion . The perception among Egyptians was that the only people benefiting from

11110-605: Was hijacked by three Abu Nidal terrorists. When the hijackers started collecting passports, agent Methad Mustafa Kamal opened fire, killing one hijacker instantly and engaging in a gun battle with the second hijacker. Kamal was wounded by the third and lead hijacker, Omar Rezaq , who came out of the cockpit, Kamal was later taken off the plane, he survived the encounter. 2011 Egyptian revolution [REDACTED] Pro-government: [REDACTED] Opposition groups: [REDACTED] Hosni Mubarak ( President of Egypt ) The 2011 Egyptian revolution , also known as

11220-614: Was imposed, which was widely ignored as the flow of protesters into Tahrir Square continued through the night. The military reportedly refused to follow orders to fire live ammunition, exercising overall restraint; there were no reports of major casualties. On 31 January, Israeli media reported that the 9th, 2nd, and 7th Divisions of the Egyptian Army had been ordered into Cairo to help restore order. 1 February 2011 : Mubarak made another televised address, offering several concessions. He pledged political reforms and said he would not run in

11330-615: Was made independent of the Police Command and given legal powers of arrest, detention, and prosecution. Separate State Security Courts were set up to prosecute detainees arrested by the SSIS, separately from the regular prosecution judiciary. The first Chief of the SSIS was the Police Brigadier Ayman Mahfoud, an ex-Army officer who had become a Police officer and a part of the Free Officers' Movement of Gamal Abdel Nasser . After 1954–55, when relations between Egypt and

11440-586: Was often used by law enforcement agencies against popular uprisings. On 6 June 2010, a twenty-eight-year-old Egyptian, Khaled Mohamed Saeed, died under disputed circumstances in the Sidi Gaber area of Alexandria , with witnesses testifying that he was beaten to death by police – an event which galvanised Egyptians around the issue of police brutality. Authorities stated that Khaled died choking on hashish while being chased by police officers. However, pictures which were released of Khaled's disfigured corpse from

11550-597: Was one of six international NGOs that founded the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers in 1998. It is also the co-chair of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines , a global coalition of civil society groups that successfully lobbied to introduce the Ottawa Treaty , which prohibits the use of anti-personnel landmines. Human Rights Watch is a founding member of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange ,

11660-416: Was preceded by a media crackdown, arrests, candidate bans (particularly Muslim Brotherhood candidates) and allegations of fraud due to the near-unanimous victory by the NDP in parliament. Human rights organizations estimated that in 2010, between 5,000 and 10,000 people were in long-term detention without charge or trial. According to a U.S. Embassy report, police brutality had been widespread in Egypt. In

11770-567: Was tentatively scheduled for 19 March 2011. 3 March : A day before large protests against him were planned, Ahmed Shafik stepped down as prime minister and was replaced by Essam Sharaf . 5 March : Several State Security Intelligence (SSI) buildings across Egypt were raided by protesters, including the headquarters for the Alexandria Governorate and the national headquarters in Nasr City , Cairo. Protesters said that they raided

11880-412: Was the only presidential candidate (with a yes-or-no vote). Mubarak won five consecutive presidential elections with a sweeping majority. Although opposition groups and international election-monitoring agencies charged that the elections were rigged, those agencies were not allowed to monitor elections. The only opposition presidential candidate in recent Egyptian history, Ayman Nour, was imprisoned before

11990-560: Was used as a form of torture against Islamist detainees. The agency came to be regarded as professionally competent and capable by Western counter-terror agencies. In a report in 2002, the United Nations Committee against Torture expressed "particular concern at the widespread evidence of torture and ill-treatment in administrative premises under the control of the State Security Investigation Department,

12100-506: Was widely expected), he said he would delegate some powers to Vice President Suleiman while remaining Egypt's head of state. Mubarak's statement was met with anger, frustration and disappointment, and in a number of cities there was an escalation in the number and intensity of demonstrations. 11 February 2011 ("Friday of Departure") : Large protests continued in many cities, as Egyptians refused to accept Mubarak's concessions. At 6:00 pm Suleiman announced Mubarak's resignation, entrusting

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