Human rights watchdog Amnesty International on Saturday accused the Egyptian authorities of failing to adhere to international standards of border protection on the Israeli border and demanded that immediate measures be taken to ensure that force is not used against unarmed migrants and those seeking asylum.
In a statement, Amnesty said that in the bloodiest event on the border since September 2009, border guards opened fire on migrants trying to cross the Egyptian border into Israel killing four people of different nationalities. This brings the total number of migrants killed this year to five, after an earlier shooting on 8 January.
Amnesty confirmed that despite warnings from international organizations against opening fire on migrants crossing the border, Egyptian security "has not provided its troops on the border with any training and the forces still use deadly force against foreign migrants."
"The Egyptian authorities have not issued clear instructions to border guards instructing them to only use deadly force against migrants when there is a lethal threat," the statement said. "Until now, no investigations have been opened into the deadly crimes that were committed on the border."
Amnesty emphasized that although Egypt must secure and protect its borders under difficult circumstances, it must also respect human life, and meet international standards and its obligations under human rights charters.
Amnesty International is an international human rights organization working to uphold the rights enshrined in the International Declaration of Human Rights.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
