Intellectuals urge end to global support for Egypt's Sisi

NEW YORK

A group of about 50 scholars, activists and advocacy groups has urged the international community to withdraw support for Egypt's army-backed government amid its ongoing crackdown on dissidents.

The petition on Friday calling on international organizations such as the UN and the EU as well as countries like the U.S. to defend human rights in Egypt came 10 days after an Egyptian court sentenced the country's first freely elected president Mohamed Morsi to death.

"By its silence or, through its tacit approval of the Egyptian government through diplomatic recognition and foreign assistance, the international community is facilitating the numerous human rights abuses perpetrated by the regime," read a copy of the document.

"The commitment of the international community to the rule of law and the observance of human rights is being questioned by the peoples of the Middle East following what can possibly be seen as a double standard," it said.

A Cairo court handed down death sentences May 16 to Morsi and more than 100 others on jailbreak charges, referring the decision to the country's top religious authority for his non-binding opinion.

Morsi was ousted by a coup led by current President Abdel Fattah Sisi in July 2013.

Since then, the military-backed authorities have launched a massive crackdown on Morsi supporters, with scores of defendants handed long-term prison sentences or the death penalty.

The atmosphere of oppression in the country is helping Daesh and similar extremist movements gain a foothold in the region, according to the petition.

"We would urge you to consider the consequences of this support for the regime of el-Sisi and the ramifications for the citizens of Egypt," it added.

Co-signers included renowned political scientist Norman Finkelstein, former Tunisian president and human rights activist Moncef Marzouki, international criminal law expert Toby Cadman and Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party's Deputy Chairman Dr. Yasin Aktay, as well as advocacy groups such as Egyptian Americans for Democracy and Human Rights.