As Egypt’s record on human rights continues to take a downturn, the country has put in a bid for a seat on the United Nation’s Human Rights Council. Egyptian and international rights organisations have joined together to oppose the bid, citing Egypt’s repeated refusal to allow the UN’s independent expert on torture visit the country. On 2 May, Al-Jazeera journalist Huwaida Taha Mitwalli was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment following her reports on torture in the country. The sentence sent a chilling message to journalists and activists marking World Press Freedom Day on 3 May. by Natasha Schmidt

Egyptian-born Mitwalli works for the Quds-Al-Arabi, based in London. In January, security officers at Cairo airport confiscated up to 50 video tapes and her computer and she was prevented from boarding her scheduled flight to Qatar, home to Al-Jazeera’s headquarters. A few days later she was summoned to appear in court. Upon arrival at the hearing, she was detained for questioning over night. The journalist, who was accused of possession of material that could potentially ‘undermine the dignity of the country’, was released on bail the next day, 13 January.

 “Mitwalli’s prosecution is the latest in a recent series of egregious government violations of freedom of expression,” said Joe Stork, deputy director of the Middle East and North Africa division at Human Rights Watch

The journalist was also fined  20,000 Egyptian pounds (US$3,518). She is currently in Qatar, where she is appealing her conviction. 
 
Mitwalli’s documentary, Beyond the Sun, was broadcast on Al-Jazeera TV in April and features a range of different interviews — with human rights activists, former senior police officers, and those said to be tortured in police custody. It also uses reconstructions of incidents of torture using actors, a technique that Egyptian authorities dismissed as fabrication.

The Egyptian government denies that systemic torture occurs in police custody. It has, however, instructed investigations into several cases, some resulting in conviction. Human rights groups maintain that it is a regular occurrence. In November, torture in Egypt hit the headlines as a video featuring the serious sexual assault of a bus driver by police officers was posted on several Egyptian blogs. The two officers are currently on trial.