Egypt
We are following with great concern the extremely tense situation in Egypt and wish to convey a strong message of solidarity and support to the Egyptian people.
As you know, the High Commissioner has, ever since the first stirrings of protest back in January 2011, consistently supported the Egyptian people’s rights to freedom of expression and assembly, while calling on all sides to resolve their differences peacefully and refrain from resorting to violence.
We urge the Egyptian government to continue to make every effort to protect the rights of citizens to engage in peaceful protests and demonstrations. We regret the deaths that have occurred in Egypt since Sunday, and stress that any perpetrators of attacks against peaceful demonstrators, who are found to have used excessive force, should be held accountable.
We urge all political parties and social groups to urgently engage in a serious national dialogue in order to find a solution to the political crisis and prevent an escalation of violence. We call on the President of Egypt to listen to the demands and wishes of the Egyptian people, expressed during these huge protests over the past few days, and to address key issues raised by the opposition and civil society in recent months, as well as to heed the lessons of the past in this particularly fragile situation.
We welcome public assurances made by the law enforcement agencies and the military that no measures will be taken that could lead to excessive use of force against peaceful demonstrators.
