The Egyptian government stifles academic freedom in universities by censoring course books, outlawing research about controversial issues and intimidating student activists, Human Rights Watch says in a new report. The authorities also fail to protect citizens from Islamist militants who publicly attack professors and students.  “The government’s persistent violations of academic freedom have badly undermined Egypt’s standing as the educational leader of the Arab world,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “The authorities should end their excessive and arbitrary interference in the activities of scholars, students and universities.”  

African trade ministers have the opportunity to set out a bold agenda for trade reforms that will benefit developing countries at the African Union meeting in Cairo this week, said an alliance of African and international campaigning organizations. Six months before the next World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial in Hong Kong, African leaders should challenge rich countries to keep their promises to put development at the heart of the negotiations, said the alliance from Cairo on the eve of the meeting. "With time running short before WTO members meet in Hong Kong, there is a pitiful lack of progress towards tackling the concerns of developing countries, heralded as central to these negotiations," said Cheikh Tidiane Dieye of ENDA-Tiers Monde, Senegal. "This is why it is crucial for African leaders to remain firm on their demands from the WTO."

Human rights organisations in Egypt have reservations about the fairness of amendments to the country's constitution and consider they constitute a continuation of the violation of political and civil rights. Earlier this year, Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak, asked parliament to review article 76 of the constitution to allow, for the first time in Egypt, direct competitive presidential elections. Mubarak has ruled the country for nearly 25 years and the next general election is due in September.

The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights (EOHR), a member of the OMCT network, of its suspicions over the circumstances of the death of Mr. Ashraf Youssef, in Menouf, Menoufiyya in Egypt. According to the information received, Mr. Ashraf Youssef was arrested on 29 April 2005 in Menouf. He was suspected of ordering the al Azhar and Abdel Moneim Riyadh bombings, which occurred in April and May respectively. Upon arrest, Mr. Youssef was prevented from meeting with his lawyer and his lawyer was barred from attending his interrogation. In violation of the Criminal Procedures Code and the Constitution, the place of his arrest was not clearly specified and he did not contact his family from the time of his arrest until his death on 11 May 2005. According to information received, officials attributed Mr. Youssef's death to him being disturbed.