On behalf of EuroMed Rights and 24 other human rights organisations, on 16 September we sent a joint statement to Irish political leaders on the decision to designate Egypt, Morocco and Algeria as safe countries of origin. The letter sets out our collective concerns about this designation and highlights critical issues which we believe require further consideration and careful consideration, with a view to respecting the human rights and people living under political threat.
We note serious concerns about the ambiguous legal provisions for the judiciary to subject human rights defenders to unfair trials and keep them under its control. The authorities rely on accusations such as ‘destabilising state security’, ‘undermining national unity’ and ‘disturbing public order’, often imprisoning individuals without transparency or due process. Journalists and the media are also targeted, as the sentencing of journalist Ihsan El Qadi to seven years in prison in June 2023 shows. According to a count by lawyers and human rights activists, more than 200 people have been detained for expressing dissent.
