Elections in Egypt: a Critical Moment for Human Rights

Elections in Egypt: a Critical Moment for Human Rights
Help Egyptians get fair elections when they vote for President. Urge international election monitors.”

Egypt held parliamentary elections on November 28, a test of the government’s promises for democracy and human rights reform. It failed.
The Egyptian government refused to allow election monitors into the country, and elections were marred by government repression and manipulation.
Egyptians deserve free, fair elections when they vote for president in early 2011. You can help by urging international election monitors this time.
At the United Nations in New York in September, President Obama said that it was time for every member state to open its elections to international monitors. The Egyptian elections should be no exception. This has become the global norm.
Human Rights First is working with local activists to support their innovative efforts to promote free and fair elections and to monitor the electoral process. International elections monitors would strengthen them, and we are asking President Obama to call on the Egyptian government to open pending elections to international monitors.

Local Monitoring through New Media
The Internet and other new communications technologies have been means to dialogue, organize, and gather information in Egypt, where media is dominated by state controlled broadcasting and where independent journalists are subject to restrictions and even prosecution.
Civil society organizations and activists have used these SMS texting, social networks and blogs to send reports and images in real time about human rights violations or voting irregularities during elections.
Government crackdowns on these networks and tools are repressing legitimate demands from Egyptian citizens for a more responsive, just, and democratic government.
Human Rights First is supporting these local initiatives by working with a group of “netizens”—activists who use the Internet and new media to promote democracy and human rights.

Posted in POLITICAL