Cairo: 13 May, 2019
The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) releases, today, a position paper that includes many examples of the practices and procedures carried out by the Egyptian successive governments since January Revolution. The paper shows that the blatant national discourse adopted by such governments is tantamount to an attempt to cover up the practices of discrimination against Egyptian citizens and the bias in favor of foreigners. These discriminatory practices have increased after President al-Sisi took the reins of power in 2014.
The paper, issued today under the title “Less than a foreigner… About the Egyptian government’s discrimination against Egyptians and favoritism towards foreigners”, demonstrates that the national discourse, which is close to chauvinism and accusations of treason while discrediting opponents and critics, is just a facade for discrimination against the Egyptians in favor of foreigners, especially people from the West or Gulf States. It also shows that the successive governments since the January Revolution always take the foreigners ‘ side in their public policies, not to mention the legal bias, which prompted some Egyptians holding dual nationality to renounce their Egyptian citizenship in order to escape prison and trumped-up charges.
Concerning media discourse, which is rife with national posturing, it is merely a speech for local media consumption, contrary to the facts and incidents that say there is discrimination against Egyptian citizens, “especially opponents or critics.”
The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information clarifies in the position paper that it doesn’t intend to harm or insult foreigners; as most of them were mainly victims in cases such as the “civil society” and “al-Jazeera journalists”, and it is part of their right to be acquitted in such cases or to leave the country. The aim of comparison here is, rather, to clarify the contradiction between the Egyptian regime’s national discourse and its discrimination against the citizens whom are being addressed by the same discourse.
