Rights group calls for lifting travel ban on activists

A human rights group accuses Egypt’s government of silencing rights advocates by continuing to bar them from travelling, while the UN is holding its periodic review of the country’s rights record

A human rights group is accusing Egypt’s government of silencing rights advocates by continuing to bar them from travelling, while the U.N. is holding its periodic review of the country’s rights record.

The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies issued a statement on Wednesday calling for the immediate lifting of the “unjust” travel ban imposed on dozens of Egyptian rights activists.

The statement adds that activists are denied the chance to raise awareness about the country’s “deepening human rights crisis” before the international community.

The U.N. Human Rights Council is currently meeting in the Swiss capital, Geneva, where it will draft recommendations regarding the human rights situation in Egypt.

Egypt’s rights record under President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has drawn growing international criticism following a crackdown on dissent and media freedoms.