The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 22 other international and Egyptian rights organizations in urging United Nations member states not to vote for Egypt in October’s elections to the U.N. Human Rights Council.

The letter highlights Egypt’s alarming human rights record, noting that the country regularly ranks among the world’s top 10 jailers of journalists, with 17 behind bars in CPJ’s latest annual prison census on December 1, 2024.

Rewarding the Egyptian government with a seat on the Human Rights Council, the letter says, would only embolden authorities to continue widespread violations, ignore calls for reform and accountability, and undermine the universality of human rights. 

Read the full letter here.