ACHPR Sharm El-Sheikh's forum discusses detention, combating torture

CAIRO – 21 April 2019: The non-governmental forum of the African Commission on Human Rights has been held for the second day in Sharm El-Sheikh, where it has discussed several issues including detention, combating torture and ill-treatment.

The forum comes as part of the activities of the 64th edition of the committee. It also addresses preserving the freedom of expression and access to information.

Furthermore, the forum is set to discuss the crises of displacement and immigration, activating the economic and social rights, protecting the minorities and promoting cultural freedoms.



Over 120 participants from 70 Egyptian, African and international organizations are participating in the forum.

The organizations include the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights, the Arab Organization for Human Rights, the African Center for Democracy and Human Rights Studies, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the International Federation for Human Rights.

The forum will conclude on April 22 and includes a number of discussions regarding women and children in need, as well as implementing the standards of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights.



The forum was inaugurated by Ambassador Yusuf Zadeh, representative of the Egyptian Foreign Minister; head of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR), Hannah Forster; the executive director of the African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies (ACDHRS) and Alaa Shalaby, president of the Arab Organization for Human Rights.

Moreover, the forum focused on the importance of the role played by the civil society in boosting and enriching human rights in Africa, as well as a number of main issues related to the democratic transaction in several countries including Algeria and Sudan.

The organization is taking part at the forum with a team of renowned law professors and figures, including Hafez Abu Saeda, Ahmed Hamza, and Heidi Ali Al-Tayeb.

The organization and its partners are also organizing a number of activities on the sidelines of the committee.