The envoy also met with Egyptian Minister of Justice Sabir Mahfouz to discuss the justice system in Egypt and the rights of those who face criminal charges. In Spetember at the 27th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, the E.U. representative expressed concerns over the “the indiscriminate detentions and disproportionate sentencing … as well as the alarming situation of Human Rights Defenders and NGOs.”
During the meeting, Lambrinidis reportedly raised similar concerns, inquiring about the possibility of the recently amended article 78 of the penal code, which sets the punishment for “receiving international funding” for the purpose of “destabilizing the state” as life in prison and death in some cases.
The envoy also raised the issue of the current use of extended pre-trial detentions in Egypt, citing this as a particular concern of the E.U. The Justice Minister replied that this was “an internal matter” and that the “intrusion of third parties in it was not welcome.”
Following these meetings, Lambrinidis stated that the partnership between the countries of the E.U. and Egypt was “deep-rooted” in both the economic and political sphere, and he expressed the intention of the E.U. to support Egypt’s transition to democracy. To that end, he pledged that the E.U. would be sending a delegation to monitor the up-coming parliamentary elections.