In January of 2011, hundreds of thousands of Egyptians took to the streets to protest police brutality and the presidency of Hosni Mubarak. Violent clashes between security forces and protesters resulted in at least 800 people killed and more than 6,000 injured.
Even after Mubarak’s resignation, Egyptian civilians continued to suffer from the uprising’s repercussions, with the ongoing occurrence of human rights violations. One key issue has been the violation of medical neutrality, where injured civilians have repeatedly been denied access to medical treatment.
As these violations occurred, PHR tirelessly advocated in the global sphere for reform and accountability. In 2012, PHR researchers worked with the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights to document and analyze attacks on health professionals, health facilities, medical transport, and patients. These findings were used as the basis for advocacy work in the country and internationally. That May, PHR called upon the Egyptian government to immediately halt all attacks on medical establishments and personnel and to refrain from interfering with the right of the wounded to access medical care. PHR also petitioned the Egyptian government for the release of civilians unlawfully detained for exercising their rights, including the Egyptian journalist Hossam Bahgat.
