The Egyptian mission to the United Nations in Geneva has not received an official request from UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay to deploy a team to follow developments in Egypt, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Badr abdel Aaty said on Monday.
Spanish news agency EFE reported on Friday that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights requested permission from Egypt to delegate a fact-finding mission to watch over the situation in Egypt after the ouster of President Mohamed Morsy.
The agency quoted spokesperson Rupert Colville as saying that High Commissioner Navi Pillay informed the Egyptian authorities on 10 July that she was seeking to form a fact-finding committee immediately.
He added that the committee might be composed of three or four people, but that their names will not be revealed until Egypt responds to the request.
According to Colville, Pillay met with the Egyptian ambassador in Geneva on 10 July and asked for more information on the ongoing situation in Egypt after Morsy’s ouster. During the meeting, she proposed forming a fact-finding mission.
Activists and experts told Al-Masry Al-Youm on Sunday that the move is an international mechanism that is often used in places where violence is ongoing.
Gamal Eid, director of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), said that the UN request is normal in light of the ongoing situation in Egypt and that its work is similar to that of missions that monitor elections.
However, Nehad abul Qumsan, head of the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights, said that the Egyptian government has the right to reject the request, adding that the UN was unable to send any fact-finding missions to Israel and other countries that have experienced more violence than Egypt.
Edited translation from MENA
