Egypt: Update to Information Request EGY14773 of 14 July 1993 on the treatment of Palestinians before and after the Gulf War, and on whether there have been changes in re-issuing residence permits to Palestinians since the Gulf War
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 December 1993 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | EGY16054.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Egypt: Update to Information Request EGY14773 of 14 July 1993 on the treatment of Palestinians before and after the Gulf War, and on whether there have been changes in re-issuing residence permits to Palestinians since the Gulf War, 1 December 1993, EGY16054.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad221c.html [accessed 29 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
For information on the treatment of Palestinians in Egypt before the Gulf War, please refer to the attachment from Laurie A. Brand's Palestinians in the Arab World. Regarding the treatment of Palestinians after the Gulf War, Country Reports 1992 mentions that some 100 Palestinians have been detained for a long period of time for posing a threat to national security; some were reportedly tortured (1993, 995). Some Palestinians, although legal residents of Egypt, are being investigated for their political activities, especially for their opposition to Egypt's stand against the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait (ibid.). This information is corroborated in the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights Critique: Review of the U.S. Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1992 (1992, 101). For further information on the situation of Palestinians in Egypt since the Gulf War, please consult the attached documents.
On the matter of re-issuing residence permits to Palestinians, a representative of the Embassy of Egypt in Ottawa said the Egyptian policy in this regard has not changed since the the Gulf War (16 Dec. 1992). However, applications from Palestinians are now thoroughly investigated on a case-by-case basis, especially those submitted by Palestinians who came to Egypt from Kuwait or other Gulf states since the Gulf War (ibid.). For information on the issuance of visas and residence permits to Palestinians by Egyptian authorities, please refer to Information Requests EGY14935 of 29 August 1993 and ISR10436 of 25 February 1992, both available in the REFINFO database and at your Regional Documentation Centre.
This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Embassy of Egypt, Ottawa. 16 December 1993. Telephone interview with representative.
Lawyers Committee for Human Rights. July 1993. Critique: Review of the U.S. Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1992. New York: Lawyers Committee for Human Rights.
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1992. 1993. United States Department of State. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office.
Attachments
Brand, Laurie A. 1988. Palestinians in the Arab World. New York: Columbia University Press.
The Guardian [Manchester]. 16 September 1993. Deborah Pugh. "Harassed Exiles in Egypt Look for a Peace Dividend." (NEXIS)
The Houston Chronicle. 19 February 1993. 2 star edition. Peyman Pejmam. "Egypt Accused of Illegally Incarcerating Palestinians." (NEXIS)
The Jerusalem Post. 15 June 1993. "Wanted Gazans Held in Egypt Want to Return." (NEXIS)
Lawyers Committee for Human Rights. July 1993. Critique: Review of the U.S. Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1992. New York: Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, p. 101.
Middle East News Network. 17 November 1991. "Middle East Watch Report: The Human Rights Record of the Principal Regional Parties in the Middle East News Network." (NEXIS)
The Washington Post. 3 November 1993. Final Edition. Caryle Murphy. "Cairo's Palestinians Have a Dream: That Accord Will Let Them Go Home." (NEXIS)
