Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty on Monday reaffirmed Cairo's rejection of what he described as “international pressure” to recognize LGBTQ+ rights, citing the country’s “religious and cultural specificities” during a parliamentary committee hearing.
Speaking before the Senate’s Human Rights and Social Solidarity Committee, Abdelatty argued that LGBTQ+ rights do not constitute “universally agreed-upon principles” like freedom of expression or press freedom.
“There are principles the world has agreed upon across civilizations, such as freedom of opinion, expression, and journalism. But issues such as LGBTQ+ rights remain contentious,” he said. “We refuse any pressure on Egypt to adopt liberties that conflict with our cultural fabric.”
Abdelatty did not name specific governments or organizations applying pressure. However, his remarks come over a year after Human Rights Watch condemned Egyptian authorities for detaining individuals based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, often under vague morality laws.
“We have the right to uphold our religious, cultural, and civilizational identity,” the minister said, asserting that both Muslim and Christian communities in Egypt are part of what he termed “Islamic civilization,” not merely adherents to a faith.
Legal context and persecution
While same-sex relations are not explicitly criminalized under Egyptian law, LGBTQ+ people routinely face arrest under statutes that prohibit “debauchery” or “immorality.” Human rights groups have documented widespread abuses, including police entrapment, arbitrary detention, forced anal examinations, and public outing.
In July 2023, Egypt's Supreme Administrative Court upheld the dismissal of a state media employee over allegations related to his sexual orientation, despite a previous recommendation by the State Commissioners Authority to overturn the decision.
Official documents obtained by Al Manassa have also revealed institutional efforts to police LGBTQ+ expression. In August 2022, a directive from the Education Ministry urged schools to counter what it called “deviant behaviors,” specifically targeting LGBTQ+ themes, and encouraged schools to urge students to “shun” LGBTQ+ individuals.
Pushback on EU aid, domestic reforms
The foreign minister’s comments also touched on broader human rights debates. Abdelatty called on lawmakers to contribute to Egypt’s upcoming five-year human rights strategy, expected to launch in 2027. He highlighted the need to tackle child marriage, female genital mutilation, hate speech against women, and bullying.
His statements come amid growing international scrutiny. In June 2024, 16 Egyptian and international NGOs urged the European Union to tie its aid to human rights benchmarks, following concerns that EU policy had overlooked violations in Egypt.
Progress and critique
Abdelatty defended the government’s record, citing progress on human rights through the Presidential Pardon Committee and cited the resolution of “some individual cases.” He noted the most recent example was the removal of activist Alaa Abdel Fattah’s name from travel ban lists, weeks after his release.
Egypt's top diplomat also pointed to the government’s National Human Rights Strategy, launched in 2021, as a homegrown initiative.
“We approach human rights from a holistic perspective and do not neglect civil and political rights,” Abdelatty said. “But human rights cannot be reduced to civil rights alone — there are also social, cultural, and economic rights.”
He continued: “Egypt adopted the National Human Rights Strategy voluntarily. No one twisted our arm. The president himself took the initiative directly and unexpectedly in 2021 and launched the strategy.”
Earlier this month, the National Council for Human Rights issued its annual report acknowledging what it called “serious challenges” to rights protections in Egypt. It documented deaths in detention and noted the continued imprisonment of journalists and activists, including Al Manassa cartoonist Ashraf Omar, who was arrested in July.
