Sisi angrily defends human rights record as Arab-EU summit concludes
Sisi angrily defends human rights record as Arab-EU summit concludes
The Arab- EU summit in Egypt concluded on Monday with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi delivering an angry defence of his country's human rights record.
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President Sisi has led a far-reaching crackdown on dissent in Egypt [Getty]
A summit held in Egypt to boost cooperation between European and Arab states concluded on Monday with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi delivering an indignant defence of his country's appalling human rights record.
The summit, which was touted as the first of its kind, kicked off over the weekend just days after Cairo hanged nine men.
Speaking to reporters in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday, Sisi appeared somewhat aggrieved at a question on whether he had been challenged on Egypt's dismal human rights record.
"I say this with frankness: you will not dictate what our humanity should be like," said Sisi, who has led a far-reaching crackdown on dissent in Egypt.
"We have our humanity, we have our principles, we have our morality. You have yours, we respect them. It is because of this that we ask you to respect our principles and customs, as we respect yours."
Prior to the president's answer, Egyptian diplomat and Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said that no criticisms were made of Egypt or any other countries' human rights record.
"No one from among the participants spoke of dissatisfaction [with rights abuses]… and no one referred to the practices of any specific nation," said Aboul Gheit.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, meanwhile, gave a contrasting response, saying that the issue "was raised behind closed doors in bilateral meetings between leaders".
Sisi has overseen one of the largest crackdowns on dissent in the country's modern history since the military overthrow of Egypt's first democratically-elected President Mohamed Morsi in 2013.
Sisi's regime has arrested or charged at least 60,000 people since the 2013 coup, human rights groups say.
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