We, members of the European Parliament and European National Parliaments express our deep concern regarding the human rights situation in Egypt, particularly with respect to freedom of religion or belief. 

We welcome the recent legislative steps taken by the Egyptian government to regulate personal status laws for the Coptic Christian community and we hope to see the Law adopted. At the same time, we remain deeply troubled by recurring sectarian violence, discrimination in education and display of religious symbols (e.g. not veiling), as well as gender-specific harassment – all of which demonstrate deficiencies in accountability and effective protection.

We remain deeply concerned by the treatment of Baháʼís, who face extensive state-sponsored discrimination and persecution. This includes the systematic denial of basic human rights such as the ongoing refusal to recognize Baha'i marriages, leaving Baha’i children without legal status, denying the right to citizenship, residency, and education. Baha’is are also denied burial rights, depriving them of “their rights both in life and in death.” Further, Baha’is are subjected to frequent surveillance and interrogation that violate freedoms of religion or belief and peaceful assembly and association.

While Egypt’s constitution guarantees the right to freedom of belief, persistent gaps in implementation leave several recognized and unrecognized religious minorities without legal protection or equal access to fundamental rights. We reaffirm that freedom of religion or belief is a universal human right, enshrined in international law and protected under instruments to which Egypt is a party and legally bound by.

We call on the Egyptian authorities to fully uphold the right to freedom of religion or belief, in accordance with Egypt’s Constitution, its commitments under international law, and the human rights pre-conditions linked to the EU-Egypt Macro-Financial Assistance Package. We further urge Egypt to ensure that all religious and belief minorities, including unrecognized communities and any individual, are able to freely manifest, change or adopt their religion or belief, individually and collectively, without discrimination, harassment, or impediment

The 115 co-signatories endorsing the statement include Members of the European Parliament (MEP) and Members of national Parliaments across Europe.

Mario AMORIM LOPES, MP, Portugal

Marc ANGEL, MEP, Luxembourg

Sibel ARSLAN, MP, Switzerland

Martina BAJO HOLEČKOVÁ, MP, Slovakia

Léa BALAGE EL MARIKY, MP, France

Marie-Noëlle BATTISTEL, MP, France

Petra BAYR, MP, Austria

Rudi BERLI, MP, Switzerland

Michael BERNHARD, MP, Austria

Irena BIHARIOVA, MP, Slovakia

Mickaël BOULOUX, MP, France

Henrike BRANDSTÖTTER, MP, Austria

Helmut BRANSTÄTTER, MEP, Austria

Gudrun BRUNEGÅRD, MP, Sweden

Johan BÜSER, MP, Sweden

Marián ČAUČÍK, MP, Slovakia

Don CEDER, MP, The Netherlands

Dr Ellie CHOWNS, MP, UK

Veronika CIFROVÁ OSTRIHOŇOVÁ, MEP, Slovakia

Per CLAUSEN, MEP, Denmark

Angélique DA TERESA, MP, Portugal

Alain DAVID, MP, France

The Rt Hon the Lord DHOLAKIA OBE DL, UK

Mag. Meri DISOKI, MP, Austria

Pedro DOS SANTOS FRAZÃO, MP, Portugal

Ondrej DOSTÁL, MP, Slovakia

Sebastian EVERDING, MEP, Germany

Laurence FEHLMANN RIELLE, MP, Switzerland

Luisa GARCÍA GURRUTXAGA, MP, Spain

Océane GODARD, MP, France

Dr Elisabeth GÖTZE, MP, Austria

Dan HARDY, MP, Luxembourg

Hannes HEIDE, MEP, Austria

Martin HOJSIK, MEP, Slovakia

Ján HORECKÝ, MP, Slovakia

Yannick JADOT, MP, France

Igor JANCKULÍK, MP, Slovakia

Gurinder Singh JOSAN, MP, UK

Beata JURIK, MP, Slovakia

Janos JUVAN, MP, Austria

Fernand KARTHEISER, MEP, Luxembourg

Lubica KARVASOVA, MEP, Slovakia

Kadir KASIRGA, MP, Sweden

Dana KLEINERT, MP, Slovakia

Monika KOLEJÁKOVÁ, MP, Slovakia

Maria KOLÍKOVÁ, MP, Slovakia

Ingrid KOSOVÁ, MP, Slovakia

Rastislav KRÁTKY, MP, Slovakia

Juraj KRÚPA, MP, Slovakia

Sen. Francesca LA MARCA, Italy

Robert LAIMER, MP, Austria

Vladimír LEDECKÝ, MP, Slovakia

Michel LEMAIRE, MP, Luxembourg

Miriam LEXMANN, MEP, Slovakia

Min LI MARTI, MP, Switzerland

Reinhold LOPATKA, MEP, Austria

José LOSADA FERNANDEZ, MP, Spain

Max LUCKS, MP, Germany

Darina LUŠČÍKOVÁ, MP, Slovakia

Nicole MAES, MP, The Netherlands

František MAJERSKÝ, MP, Slovakia

Milan MAJERSKÝ, MP, Slovakia

Vladimíra MARCINKOVÁ, MP, Slovakia

Eric MARTINEAU, MP, France

Sigrid MAURER, MP, Austria

František MIKLOŠKO, MP, Slovakia

Fabian MOLINA, MP, Switzerland

Louise MOREL, MP, France

Isabel MORENO FERNANDEZ, MP, Spain

Begoña NASARRE OLIVA, MP, Spain

Natália NASH, MP, Slovakia

Barbara NEẞLER, MP, Austria

Paulo NEVES, MP, Portugal

Brendan O'HARA, MP, UK

Ludovit ODOR, MEP, Slovakia

Gabriel PAĽA, MP, Slovakia

Nikos PAPANDREOU, MEP, Greece

Nicolás PASCUAL DE LA PARTE, MEP, Spain

Simona PETRÍK, MP, Slovakia

Christine PIRES BEAUNE, MP, France

Lucia PLAVÁKOVÁ, MP, Slovakia

Filiz POLAT, MP, Germany

Reinis POZŅAKS, MEP, Latvia

Agnes PRAMMER, MP, Austria

Ondrej PROSTREDNÍK, MP, Slovakia

Jon PULT, MP, Switzerland

Bert-Jan RUISSEN, MEP, Netherlands

Michal SABO, MP, Slovakia

Jordi SALVADOR I DUCH, MP, Spain

Rodrigo SARAIVA, MP, Portugal

Ralph SCHALLMEINER, MP, Austria

Ulle SCHAUWS, MP, Germany

Alexandra SCHOOS, MP, Luxembourg

Alois SCHROLL, MP, Austria

Branislav ŠKRIPEK, MP, Slovakia

João SOARES, MP, Portugal

Malika SOREL, MEP, France

Sen. Luigi SPAGNOLLI, Italy

Peter STACHURA, MP, Slovakia

Davor Ivo STIER, MEP, Croatia

Chris STOFFER, MP, The Netherlands

Håkan SVENNELING, MP, Sweden

Jorge Miguel TEIXEIRA, MP, Portugal

Matej TONIN, MEP, Slovenia

Michal TRUBAN, MP, Slovakia

Jean TSCHOPP, MP, Switzerland

Andrea TURČANOVÁ, MP, Slovakia

Sebastian TYNKKYNEN, MEP, Finland

Marián VISKUPIČ, MP, Slovakia

Erich VONTOBEL, MP, Switzerland

Tom WEIDIG, MP,  Luxembourg

Baroness WHITAKER, UK

Pia Maria WIENINGER, MP, Austria

Michal WIEZIK, MEP, Slovakia

Lucia YAR, MEP, Slovakia