[JURIST] Envoys from the US and UK strongly criticized the Egyptian government Wednesday during a session [UPR report documents] of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). Remarks by the two nations came during the Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) [UN backgrounder, FAQ] a regular review process, which all UN member states undergo. The US and UK voiced concern [BBC report] over the violent crackdown on dissent by President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi’s [BBC profile] government, calling on his administration to free political prisoners and ensure the freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly and association are respected. Egypt’s deputy Foreign Minister Hesham Badr rejected criticism leveled at his government, stating that the allegations were based on “misconceptions” and that the government has been working towards implementing reforms. The UNHRC will publish its findings and non-binding recommendations on Friday.

In October an Egyptian court ordered the detention [JURIST report] of Alaa Abdel-Fattah [Twitter feed, in Arabic], one of one of Egypt’s most prominent pro-democracy activists, at the start of his retrial for breaking a law on demonstrations. In the same month an Egyptian court sentenced [JURIST report] 23 activists to three years in prison for protesting without a permit, an act that violates a law enacted [JURIST report] in November 2013. Since the law was passed, Egypt has detained numerous demonstrators, especially those affiliated with ousted former president Mohammad Morsi [BBC backgrounder] and his Muslim Brotherhood [party website] political party. Political conflict in Egypt has been ongoing since the 2011 revolution [JURIST backgrounder].