The Forum of Independent Human Rights Organizations (the Forum), comprised of 19 rights groups, has invited the Egyptian government to a joint meeting to discuss the Forum's published report on the status of human rights in Egypt, according to the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR). The joint report was released in preparation for Egypt's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) scheduled to take place before the UN on 5 November. The Forum urges the Egyptian government "to declare its commitment" to the recommendations submitted by the independent rights organisations before the UPR takes place. Over the past four years, popular demand for improved human rights in the country has been common, the EIPR statement said. However, they added that "successive governments, despite their political differences, have failed to curb violations or work towards the protection of rights through security sector, economic, social, or judicial reform." Despite the Egyptian demands, "a lack of political will continues to be the main reason for the deterioration of rights and freedoms." The report also states thatsince 2010 successive governments in Egypt have violated various rights "including freedom of peaceful assembly, freedom of association, and freedom of expression." Sexual attacks on female protesters have also been a common phenomenon. In addition, the report condemned the lack of progress in improvingthe conditions of the poor, as well as arbitrary police violence, a crackdown on civil society, and the controversial Protest Law, which has been used to arrest thousands of people. According to the Ministry of Interior, Egyptian security forces have arrested 16,000 people since the military's ousting of former president Mohamed Morsi on 3 July 2013. However, online databases, such as WikiThawra, state that the number of detainees in Egypt could add up to more than 41,000. The report also points to sharp increases in the number of civilians, including minors, being tried before military courts. Security forces have also killed more than a thousand protestors in the streets, including minors and university students, since the ouster of Morsi.
