The Rabaa Massacre: A Decade of Impunity and Shame in Egypt

The Rabaa Massacre: A Decade of Impunity and Shame

August 14, 2023

Amnesty International has released a detailed analysis on the 10-year anniversary of the Rabaa massacre, shedding light on the human rights issues that have plagued Egypt since that dark day in 2013. The report emphasizes the lack of accountability for the mass killing of over 900 people, which has allowed for an all-out assault on peaceful dissent, erosion of fair trial safeguards, and unspeakable cruelty in prisons. The Rabaa massacre marked a turning point, after which the Egyptian authorities relentlessly pursued a zero-tolerance policy of dissent.

A Decade of Shame and Impunity

The past 10 years in Egypt can only be described as a ‘decade of shame.’ Despite ample evidence of the atrocities committed during the Rabaa massacre, not a single official has been held accountable. This lack of justice and redress for victims’ families and survivors of torture, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial executions, unlawful killings, and arbitrary detentions is deeply troubling.

Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Research and Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, rightly points out that the international community’s lack of a robust and coordinated response to the Rabaa massacre has allowed Egyptian military and security forces to escape punishment for their mass murder. The need for accountability cannot be overstated, as it is crucial for Egypt to emerge from its ongoing human rights crisis.

The 10 Human Rights Issues

The Amnesty International report highlights ten human rights issues that have plagued Egypt since the Rabaa massacre. These issues shed light on the deteriorating situation in the country and the urgent need for action:

1. Crackdown on Street Protests: The Egyptian government has eradicated street protests by criminalizing the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and resorting to the use of unlawful force and mass arrests.
2. Arbitrary Detention: Tens of thousands have been unjustly arrested, initially targeting Muslim Brotherhood supporters but soon extending to all peaceful critics. Recent gestures of reform have had little impact, with state critics continuing to be arrested and Muslim Brotherhood members being excluded from official pardons.
3. Unfair Trials: Draconian counter-terrorism legislation and repressive tactics have resulted in prolonged pretrial detention without charge or trial, grossly unfair mass trials in emergency or military courts, and hundreds of death sentences.
4. Death Penalty: The authorities have intensified their use of the death penalty to repress dissent, with thousands of death sentences handed down and over 400 executions taking place.
5. Attacks on Freedom of Expression: Independent reporting has been suppressed, media control has been consolidated, and journalists daring to deviate from the official narrative have faced arrest and prosecution.
6. Shrinking Civic Space: Repressive legislation grants authorities broad powers over NGOs, stifling independent civil society. Human rights defenders have faced prosecution, arbitrary detention, travel bans, asset freezes, and other forms of harassment.
7. Torture and Ill-Treatment: Those arrested during the Rabaa crackdown and others face cruel and inhuman conditions in Egyptian prisons. Reports of denial of healthcare and torture, including electric shocks, suspension by the limbs, beatings, and indefinite solitary confinement, are widespread.
8. Enforced Disappearances: Security forces hold those accused of involvement in terrorism or protests incommunicado, denying information about their fate and whereabouts. Detainees are subjected to torture and ill-treatment and coerced into providing false confessions.
9. Discrimination: While authorities claim to protect the rights of women and minorities, discrimination based on sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, and religious beliefs persists.
10. Impunity: Muslim Brotherhood members and supporters have been mass prosecuted, while those responsible for the Rabaa massacre have evaded investigation. Impunity was further entrenched with the ratification of a law granting immunity to top military leaders.

Addressing the Crisis

As Egypt grapples with a severe human rights crisis, it is essential for the international community to take meaningful action. Amnesty International calls for the establishment of a monitoring and reporting mechanism on the human rights situation in Egypt at the UN Human Rights Council. Additionally, states with influence on Egypt must echo the demands of survivors, victims’ families, and human rights defenders for truth, justice, and reparation.

Pressure should be applied on the Egyptian authorities, both publicly and privately, to release the thousands of arbitrarily detained critics and opponents, including those with links to the Muslim Brotherhood. A comprehensive approach is necessary to address the various human rights issues outlined in the Amnesty International report.

A Call for Justice

The 10-year anniversary of the Rabaa massacre serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for justice in Egypt. The lack of accountability for the mass killing has enabled a relentless assault on dissent, eroded fair trial safeguards, and perpetuated unspeakable cruelty in prisons. It is time for the international community to stand up and demand accountability, echoing the calls of survivors, victims’ families, and human rights defenders. Egypt cannot emerge from its human rights crisis without addressing the actions of its authorities on that darkest of days in its modern history.