[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 7 (Thursday, January 21, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E71]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN EGYPT

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                            HON. ALBIO SIRES

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 21, 2010

  Mr. SIRES. Madam Speaker, I rise today to share my concern and 
outrage over human rights abuses in Egypt.
  I rise to ask that the Egyptian Government uphold the rights of all 
religious communities by ending discrimination and harassment of groups 
such as the Coptic Christians, and prosecuting those that do such 
groups harm.
  An attack that happened just weeks ago starkly illustrates the need 
for change in Egypt. On January 6th, 2010, a drive-by shooting killed 
six Coptic Christians in Nag Hammadi. This deadly attack, carried out 
the night before the Coptic Christmas, is the most recent in a long 
history of repression and abuse of Coptic Christians in Egypt.
  On January 14th, 2009, the U.S. Assistant Secretary for Democracy, 
Human Rights, and Labor, Michael Posner, spoke out against this attack. 
He stressed the need for prosecution and justice in the country. Last 
October, the Department of State released its 2009 International 
Religious Freedom Report detailing the widespread and ongoing 
persecution of this community. The report also highlights increasing 
violence and the need for improved investigations.
  While the United States and the human rights community have been 
vocal in condemning this attack and other human rights abuses, the 
Egyptian government has yet to recognize the full significance of the 
violent act or the overarching issue of intolerance in the country. 
Violence in the name of the religion is unacceptable, but when 
governments do not sufficiently address such behavior, the violence is 
far more troubling.
  Religion is a fundamental freedom that must be upheld and respected 
around the world, in every nation and in every community. I urge my 
colleagues in the House to join me in calling for religious freedom and 
basic rights for all people.

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