Bundestag Urged to Reject Security Deal With Egypt Over Human Rights Concerns

An international human rights watchdog called on the German parliament, Bundestag, on Monday to reject a proposed security deal between the German and Egyptian interior ministries, as it lacks human rights protections and could result in the German side being engaged in human rights violations.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to the watchdog, Berlin could end up being engaged in serious human rights violations if approves the security deal with Cairo.

"The German parliament should reject a proposed security agreement with the Egyptian Interior Ministry… The agreement, which is scheduled for a vote on April 28, 2017, lacks human rights protections and would be with a security agency whose officers have committed torture, enforced disappearances, and most likely extrajudicial killings. As a result, it could make German officials complicit in serious human rights violations," Human Rights Watch said in a press release.

In July 2016, Egyptian Interior Minister Magdy Abdel Ghaffar and his German counterpart Thomas de Maiziere signed the agreement prescribing cooperation in preventing all types of crimes, including terrorism, human trafficking, illegal migration, corruption and others. The deal also prescribes reinforcing airport security, data exchange and training.

"If the German government wants to help protect German and Egyptian citizens from terrorism while respecting human rights, this is a terrible way of going about it," Wenzel Michalski, the HRW Germany director, said as quoted in the press release.

The watchdog warned the German side of arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and torture carried out by Egyptian law enforcement agencies. According to Human Rights Watch, the requirements of the proposed agreement aimed at guaranteeing cooperation in combating terrorism would certainly lead to German security agents assisting the Egyptian National Security Agency.