German MP slams EU’s silence on rights abuses in Egypt

By Ayhan Simsek</p> <p> </p> <p>BERLIN (AA) – The European Union should end its silence over anti-democratic practices and human rights violations in Egypt, a senior German opposition lawmaker said.</p> <p> </p> <p>Omid Nouripour, foreign policy spokesman of the opposition Green Party, sharply criticized the EU-Arab League summit hosted by Egypt.</p> <p> </p> <p>“The recent constitutional amendments [in Egypt] would significantly expand the powers of President al-Sisi and badly undermine democracy,” he told Germany’s daily Neue Osnabrucker Zeitung.</p> <p> </p> <p>“Today, civil and human rights situation in Egypt is worse than President Mubarak’s period before the Arab Spring. 60,000 people have become political prisoners,” he went on to say.</p> <p>“But the EU remains silent, because Egypt serves as a gatekeeper, keeping African refugees away from Europe,” he added.</p> <p>Nouripour suggested cutting EU aid to anti-democratic regimes, and making financial assistance conditional on improvements in democracy and human rights.