Egypt: Treatment of overseas government employees, who were part of the Mubarak administration, upon their return to Egypt after the removal of President Morsi; treatment of these individuals by the Muslim Brotherhood (2013)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Publication Date | 9 January 2014 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | EGY104723.E |
| Related Document(s) | Égypte : information sur le traitement réservé aux fonctionnaires en affectation à l'étranger qui faisaient partie de l'administration Moubarak, à leur retour en Égypte, depuis la destitution du président Morsi; le traitement qui leur est réservé par les Frères musulmans (2013) |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Egypt: Treatment of overseas government employees, who were part of the Mubarak administration, upon their return to Egypt after the removal of President Morsi; treatment of these individuals by the Muslim Brotherhood (2013), 9 January 2014, EGY104723.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/53c4d4a64.html [accessed 19 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. |
Information on the treatment of government employees who were part of the Mubarak administration upon their return to Egypt after the removal of President Morsi, including the treatment of these individuals by the Muslim Brotherhood, was scarce among sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.
In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a representative of Amnesty International (AI) provided the following information about the treatment of overseas government employees who were part of the Mubarak administration upon their return to Egypt after the removal of President Morsi:
Most of the employees in the Egyptian Diplomatic Corp were hired during the Mubarak Administration. It is possible that individuals who held higher positions such as a Minister or were popular figures in Mubarak's ruling party, the National Democratic Party, may encounter some forms of discrimination; however to date the judiciary has been acquitting or releasing on bail high profile figures who previously worked in the Mubarak administration. (20 Dec. 2013)
The Associated Press (AP) similarly reports that "[s]everal senior Mubarak regime figures have ... been acquitted of criminal charges" (AP 19 Dec. 2013). Sources report that the Cairo criminal court acquitted former prime minister Ahmed Shafik and Mubarak's two sons, Alaa and Gamal Mubarak, of corruption charges (ibid.; AI 20 Dec. 2013). On 19 December 2013, AP reported that Ahmed Shafik has been living in exile since he lost the 2012 presidential election, and that the court's verdict "repeals standing instructions that Shafiq must be arrested on arrival at any of the country's entry ports, clearing the way for his return." Also on 19 December 2013, Reuters similarly reported that Shafik "will soon be free to return from self-imposed exile," and that, according to judicial sources, because of court rulings, "Shafik's name will be removed within days from a list of people whose arrest has been ordered, assuming no other cases are filed against him." Reuters also said that "Shafik's return would reflect the shift in the balance of power in Egypt since the army removed Mursi [also Morsi]" (19 Dec. 2013). Sources indicate that, in 2012, the former secretary general of the National Democratic Party, Safwat El-sherif, was released on bail (AI 20 Dec. 2013; Daily News Egypt 25 Dec. 2012).
Der Spiegel, a German newsmagazine, indicates that "power now lies with the supporters of deposed autocrat Hosni Mubarak" (9 July 2013). McClatchy DC, a non-partisan news website with offices in Washington and staff located in four continents (n.d.), reports that, according to a human rights lawyer in Egypt, "'[a]ll the state security officers who were forced to retire after January 25th [the 2011 "revolution" (The Guardian 2 Mar. 2011)] are all back to their old jobs'" (McClatchy DC 18 Sept. 2013). According to Al Jazeera, Nabil Fahmy, Egyptian Ambassador to the United States from 1999 to 2008, accepted the post of foreign minister in Egypt's interim government in July 2013 (14 July 2013). The New York Times reports that "Egypt's new military-appointed government" named 19 generals and 6 civilians as provincial governors; two of the six civilians are "known as Mubarak loyalists" (13 Aug. 2013). According to the New York Times, a senior figure in Mubarak's former governing party was named as the new governor of Cairo, and "a prominent member of the governing party" before Mubarak was deposed was named as the deputy governor of Beheira Province (13 Aug. 2013). However, according to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, an international network of policy research centres in the United States, Russia, the Middle East, China and Europe that aim to advance peace (Carnegie Endowment n.d.), 18 generals and 7 civilians were appointed as governors, and "the seven new civilian governors are former members or supporters of Mubarak's defunct National Democratic Party" (ibid. [2013]).
According to the AI representative,
Muslim Brotherhood (MB) members and supporters face discrimination at the hands of the authorities and society. They have been subject to arbitrary arrests, torture or other ill-treatment. Some are facing trumped up charges before the courts. As such the MB is not in a good position to target former diplomats who worked overseas. Some of the MB affiliated groups have launched violent attacks against officials or soldiers affiliated with the Ministry of Interior Affairs or Ministry of Defence. (20 Dec. 2013)
Media sources also report that thousands of supporters of [former president] Mohammed Morsi have been arrested (The Wall Street Journal 9 Sept. 2013; Al Akhbar 30 Oct. 2013). Media sources also indicate that the Egyptian government has formally listed the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group (Reuters 25 Dec. 2013; Euronews 25 Dec. 2013). Reuters reports that this designation "gives the authorities the power to charge any member of the Brotherhood with belonging to a terrorist group, as well as anyone who finances the group or promotes it 'verbally, or in writing'" (25 Dec. 2013). For more information on the treatment of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, see EGY104639.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Al Akhbar. 30 October 2013. "Egypt Arrests Leading Muslim Brotherhood Figure." [Accessed 7 Jan. 2014]
Al Jazeera. 14 July 2013. "Former Ambassador to US Named Egypt FM." [Accessed 7 Jan. 2014]
Amnesty International (AI). 20 December 2013. Correspondence from a representative to the Research Directorate.
Associated Press (AP). 19 December 2013. Hamza Hendawi. "Egypt Rights Center Raided, 2 Mubaraks Acquitted." [Accessed 2 Jan. 2014]
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (Carnegie Endowment). [2013]. Yezid Sayigh. "Reconstructing the Police State in Egypt." [Accessed 8 Jan. 2014]
_____. N.d. "About the Global Think Tank." [Accessed 8 Jan. 2014]
Daily News Egypt. 25 December 2012. Hend Kortam. "Mubarak-era Politician Safwat El-Sherif Set for Release." [Accessed 7 Jan. 2014]
Der Spiegel. 9 July 2013. Rania Salloum. "Crisis in Egypt: Mubarak's Old Guard Allies with Salafists." [Accessed 8 Jan. 2014]
Euronews. 25 December 2013. "Egypt: Muslim Brotherhood Formally Designated 'Terrorist Organisation'." [Accessed 7 Jan. 2014]
The Guardian. 2 March 2011. Hossam el-Hamalawy. "Egypt's Revolution Has Been 10 Years in the Making." [Accessed 7 Jan. 2014]
McClatchy DC. 18 September 2013. Amina Ismail and Nancy A. Youssef. "Egypt's Crackdown on Morsi Supporters Called Worse than Mubarak Era." [Accessed 2 Jan. 2014]
_____. N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 7 Jan. 2014]
The New York Times. 13 August 2013. David D. Kirkpatrick and Mayy El Sheikh. "Appointment of 19 Generals as Provincial Governors Raises Fears in Egypt." [Accessed 2 Jan. 2014]
Reuters. 25 December 2013. Shadia Nasralla. "Egypt Designates Muslim Brotherhood as Terrorist Group." [Accessed 7 Jan. 2014]
_____. 19 December 2013. Tom Perry and Yasmine Saleh. "Egypt Court Rulings Pave Way for Shafik Return." [Accessed 8 Jan. 2014]
The Wall Street Journal. 9 September 2013. Matt Bradley. "Egypt Clamors for Military Leadership; a Movement to Nominate Gen. Abdel Fattah Al Sisi as Egypt's Next President is Gaining Pace, Reflecting the Strengthening Public Appetite to Revive Another Military-backed Authoritarian Government." (Factiva)
Additional Sources Consulted
Oral sources: Attempts to contact the following organizations were unsuccessful within the time constraints of this Response: Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies; Canada - embassy in Cairo; Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights; Egyptian Union of Young Human Rights Organizations; Egyptian Organization for Human Rights; McClatchy DC. A representative of the Egyptian Initiative of Personal Rights was unable to provide information within the time constraints of this Response.
Internet sites, including: Al Ahram English; Amnesty International; ecoi.net; Human Rights Watch; Mada Masr; United Nations - Integrated Regional Information Network, Refworld; United States - Department of State.
