public sector employees included on the “list “thuggery” and “sabotaging a public facility” of terrorists”. This followed official statements by an emergency court, which acquitted calling for the dismissal of railway workers them in December. affiliated to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood FREEDOM OF RELIGION AND BELIEF group, blamed for frequent fatal train crashes. Christians continued to face discrimination in RIGHT TO HEALTH law and practice. Their right to worship remained restricted by a discriminatory 2016 The health system continued to struggle with law on building and repairing churches Covid-19 outbreaks, and the government requiring approval from security agencies failed to address concerns raised by health and other state bodies, through lengthy, workers over their unsafe working conditions, complicated and opaque procedures. including inadequate healthcare facilities, According to the Egyptian Initiative for training and protection equipment. In Personal Rights, since the enactment of the November, the president ratified a law law, fewer than 20% of applicants were criminalizing the publication of information granted full registration and at least 25 on pandemics, using vaguely worded churches remained closed on the grounds of grounds. their illegal status or on the pretext of A national Covid-19 vaccine programme avoiding sectarian tensions. was announced in January, but less than Authorities failed to protect Christians in 22% of the population had been fully North Sinai from violence by armed groups. vaccinated by the end of the year. The roll- In April, the organization Sinai Province, an out was marred by lack of transparency, affiliate of the armed group Islamic State, delays in vaccinating health workers and released a video showing the execution-style other at-risk groups, and failure to prioritize shooting of Nabil Habashy, a Christian, in marginalized people and carry out awareness reprisal for his involvement in establishing a raising in remote rural and poor urban areas local church. Authorities failed to secure the to tackle vaccine hesitancy.6 safe return of his family and hundreds of Some prisoners held for political reasons other Christians forcibly displaced from North were excluded from the prison vaccine roll- Sinai following violent attacks in 2017 or to out. Authorities refused requests by detained provide them with any compensation for lost 69-year-old ailing opposition politician property and livelihoods. Abdelmonim Aboulfotoh to be vaccinated. At Members of religious minorities and least eight detainees died in custody after Muslims not espousing state-sanctioned displaying Covid-19 symptoms. religious beliefs were prosecuted and FORCED EVICTIONS imprisoned on “defamation of religion” and other bogus charges. In November, an Authorities carried out forced evictions in emergency court sentenced lawyer Ahmed informal settlements and arbitrarily detained Maher to five years in prison for “defamation dozens of people for protesting against home of religion” for his book on Islamic demolitions. jurisprudence. On 4 June, security forces used tear gas to disperse a protest in Ezbet Nady al-Seid, a REFUGEES’ AND MIGRANTS’ RIGHTS neighbourhood in Alexandria, against plans Authorities continued to arbitrarily arrest to relocate its residents without consultation dozens of refugees and migrants and detain or adequate compensation. At least 40 them indefinitely in cruel and inhuman protesters were arrested and detained at a conditions for irregularly entering or riot police camp. They were released nine attempting to leave Egypt. Some had been days later, but 13 were tried on charges of held for years without access to asylum “participating in unauthorized protests”, procedures or due process. Amnesty International Report 2021/22 156