US State Department issues scathing report on Egypt’s human rights record: The US State Department’s Egypt 2018 Human Rights Report (pdf)charges that Egypt has committed a wide range of human rights violations. The 55-page report provided detailed accounts of each category, blaming authorities for “inconsistently [punishing] or [prosecuting] officials who committed abuses,” and failing to “comprehensively investigate allegations of human rights abuses.” The Egypt report is part of State’s annual human rights reports.

The Foreign Ministry isn’t pleased with the State Department’s assessment, issuing a statement saying the report is laden with “unsubstantiated claims.” Besides relying on “false information” collected through NGOs motivated by “political agendas,” the report makes no mention of the government’s efforts to improve human rights, the statement notes. The Foreign Ministry also stressed “the importance of respecting the principle of non-interference in internal affairs.”