The Egyptian ambassador to Oslo was summoned to the Norwegian Foreign Ministry on May 5 and the Norwegian protest was submitted against the recent court decisions in Egypt.
– The death sentences in Egypt constitute clear violations of human rights and the country’s international obligations. From the Norwegian side, we condemn this and have taken the matter up directly with Egypt, said Foreign Minister Børge Brende.
– Egypt has acceded to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The cases in Minya involves serious violations of the Convention. I am concerned that the government’s brutal approach to political opponents could lead to increased radicalization and hostility in the country, said he.
On March 24 and April 28, decisions on death sentences of respectively 529 and 683 people were issued in Egypt. Subsequently, 37 of the 529 death sentences were made legally binding, while the rest have been converted to lifelong imprisonment.
