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The United Nations said it was investigating allegations of misconduct by Egyptian police in providing security at this year’s international climate talks.
It has previously been claimed that event participants at the Cop27 summit in the German pavilion were photographed and filmed after Germany hosted an event there with the sister of imprisoned Anglo-Egyptian democracy activist Allah Abdul Fattah.
In a statement on Sunday, the UN climate office confirmed that some of the security officials working on parts of the site designated as UN territory were from the host country, Egypt.
The global body said this was due to “the scale and complexity of providing security at large events such as the Cop27 climate talks”.
It added that their work was carried out “under the operational direction of the United Nations Department of Safety and Security (UN DSS).”
“The security personnel provided by the host country for the police this time are from the national police,” it said.
“They are here to help strengthen the venue and ensure the safety of all involved.”
“The UN DSS has been made aware of allegations of breaches of the code of conduct and is investigating these reports,” the climate office said.
Germany’s foreign ministry said Saturday that it was in contact with Egyptian authorities about the incident at its pavilion.
“We hope that all participants in the UN climate conference will be able to work and negotiate in safe conditions,” it said in a statement.
“This applies not only to the Germans, but also to all delegations, as well as representatives of civil society and the media.”
Egyptian officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Egypt’s hosting of the international summit brings its human rights record to the spotlight.
The government has carried out an extensive crackdown on dissent in recent years, detaining about 60,000 people, many of them without trial, according to a 2019 tally by Human Rights Watch.
Under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, authorities have also intimidated and banned independent media and local organizations from doing business.
Allah Abdul-Fatah, who holds British citizenship and is a well-known jailed activist, started a hunger strike on the first day of the meeting and drinking to draw attention to the pressure to release himself and other prisoners.
Mr. Abdel-Fattah rose to prominence during the pro-democracy uprisings that swept the Middle East in 2011, and in Egypt he has stepped up calls for an end to police brutality.
He spent a total of nine years in prison and is currently serving five years for retweeting a Facebook post about the death of another detainee.
Mr. Abdel-Fattah’s lawyer Khaled Ali said in a social media post on Sunday that he was not allowed to visit the activist that afternoon, despite having received permission from the country’s prosecutors. He said he would be back on Monday morning.
The family say they have not received any evidence that Mr. Abdul-Fattah is alive since he stopped drinking water on November 6, and since the hunger strike and water strike announced on October 31. Haven’t heard from him.
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