Berlin calls for the release of political prisoners in Egypt
MUNICH (GERMANY), Nov. 6 (DPA/EP) –
Activists from the group Koala Kollektiv have hung a banner next to the emblematic Neuschwanstein Castle, in Bavaria, in southern Germany, to demand concrete measures to combat climate change, coinciding with the start of the UN Climate Change Conference this Sunday. in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt (COP27).
The banner reads “Enough of fairy tales. Climate justice now!” In reference to all the promises and commitments agreed at the previous climate conferences, explained a spokesperson for the Koala Collective, Hannah Fischer. “Neuschwanstein is a symbol of decadence and excessive consumption,” she stressed.
King Ludwig of Bavaria began building Neuschwanstein Palace in 1869 in honor of composer Richard Wagner. The castle is today a major tourist attraction.
POLITICAL PRISONERS
On the other hand, the Commissioner for Human Rights of the German Government, Luise Amtsberg, has called on the Egyptian Government this Saturday to release political prisoners.
“Taking global responsibility means above all taking responsibility for the protection of human rights. However, the human rights situation in Egypt does not do this justice,” Amtsberg argued. The German Foreign Ministry has made the commissioner’s statements public before the start of COP27.
“The release of Mr (Alaa Abdel) Fattah, who is in grave danger due to his hunger strike, as well as other political prisoners, would be an important signal that Egypt takes this responsibility seriously,” Amtsberg added.
Blogger Abdel Fatta was one of the leading figures in the 2011 Egyptian revolution and a key player in the protests against then-ruler Husni Mubarak.
In 2013, he was arrested and sentenced for protesting against a law that restricted demonstrations. Since then he has spent long periods in prison. To his current hunger strike, he adds the thirst strike from today.
“The fact that people who want to express their opinions freely and defend this right are punished with long prison sentences sometimes in inhumane circumstances is unacceptable,” Amtsberg said.
“Civil commitment and sociopolitical criticism are neither crimes nor terrorism. The justified state objective of acting against terrorism and its causes must not be used for the permanent invasion of freedom and human rights,” he added.
Some 40,000 participants from nearly 200 countries are expected at COP27, where measures to curb global warming will be discussed over the next two weeks. Activists have been demanding for weeks that the conference not be held without prior significant improvements in human rights.
