CAIRO: The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) selected Judge Hisham Al-Bastawisy, vice chairman of the Egyptian Court of Appeals, to become the organization's representative in Egypt. The role of the assigned candidate chosen by OHCHR, based in Geneva, is to monitor the human rights status in his country and provide reports to the organization about violations. Al-Bastawisy told Daily News Egypt that this position was "an honor to the reformist judicial role in society. "This honor also provides evidence that the efforts and sacrifices made by judges for reform is clear and is being acknowledged all over the world, he said. Being chosen for this post, Al-Bastawisy continued, "raised our self esteem and gave us a great push to work harder in our demands for a free judiciary. His first mission is to report the flaws of the judicial authority in Egypt to the OHCHR. Nothing will stop his efforts to improve the Egyptian judiciary, said the judge. "Eventually, the government will understand our point of view and support our demands, he added. The OHCHR includes 60 members assigned to monitor the status of human rights in different regions and countries around the world. Al-Bastawisy will serve five years as a member of the committee, and, according to the committee's internal policy, membership can only be renewed once upon the committee's request. Al-Bastawisy was at the forefront of a clash between the government and a number of reformist judges who exposed election fraud in the December 2005 legislative elections. He is also one of the main players calling for the independence of the judiciary. On Dec. 3 and 4 Al-Bastawisy will attend a meeting with other OHCHR members to discuss the guarantees required by the judiciary in countries governed by emergency laws like Egypt.
