“Unacceptable interference.” Egypt rejects the statement of the French Foreign Ministry on the arrest of a human rights official

Commenting on the press release issued by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the arrest of the administrative director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, Ahmed Hafez, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed the rejection of the interference of the French statement in the internal affairs of Egypt and the attempt to influence the investigations carried out by the Prosecutor’s Office with an Egyptian citizen. He was charged in connection with one of the cases pending before the Egyptian judiciary, and this is the principle that Egypt adheres to in terms of refraining from interfering with or commenting on actions taken by law enforcement authorities in other countries, including France.

Hafez expressed, in a statement on Wednesday, his regret for the statement issued by the French Foreign Ministry did not respect Egyptian laws, and his defense of an entity that operates illegally in the field of civil works, in light of that the EIPR is registered as a company and performs other activities in violation of the provisions of Law No. 149 of 2013 establishes that its activities are subject to its jurisdiction.

Hafez emphasized that the Egyptian state respects the principles of the rule of law and equality before it, and that work in any of the fields must be regulated by applicable laws and those who violate them must be held accountable, and stressed that no class of people you have immunity for your work in a specific field. Hafez also pointed out the need to respect the principles of national sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs, as stipulated in international law governing relations between states.