Germany complains to Egypt over COP27 snooping: report

Germany has lodged a complaint with the Egyptian government over unwanted monitoring by security officials at the COP27 World Climate Conference, the German Press Agency (DPA) reported Sunday.

Egyptian security staff are reported to have monitored and filmed events held at the German pavilion inside the summit venue in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el Sheikh.

DPA said the embassy has called on Egyptian authorities to stop the monitoring activity.

"We expect all participants in the U.N. climate conference to be able to work and negotiate under safe conditions," Germany's Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "This is not just true for the German but for all delegations, as well as representatives of civil society and the media."

Germany organized human rights events

As well as highlighting the climate crisis, Germany's conference area has hosted events focused on the human rights situation in Egypt. 

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty Internation are among the participants, along with Egyptian activist Sanaa Saif, a film editor who has served prison terms in Egypt.

At times sharp criticism of Egypt has been voiced.

DPA said Egyptian officials arrived in the German area, took photographs and videos and disrupted proceedings with lengthy interventions on at least two occasions. 

While tensions rose, there were no violent incidents.

Egypt rejects snooping claim

Egyptian security sources rejected the accusations, telling DPA that the security of foreign seminars and activities was a task for the United Nations team at COP27.

Their role as Egyptians was restricted to security outside the halls and in the city, they said.

However, participants from other countries told DPA that Egyptian staff had insisted on being present during closed sessions.

"It is very obvious that the Egyptian authorities are monitoring human rights activities," Hossam Bahgat, founder of the Egyptian human rights organization EIPR, told DPA.

"The only reason they haven't used physical violence yet is that we're in a UN-controlled area," Bahgat added.

The UN admitted that some security officers were from the national police and said it was investigating the complaints.

German delegation sources told DPA that they had warned speakers of potential security risks that could arise from their appearances at the conference.

Egypt has also deployed plain-clothed security officials to climate protests near the summit site.

Egypt's rights record condemned

Freedom of speech and freedom of assembly remain massively curtailed in Egypt, with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's government accused of maintaining an iron grip on the country.

Thousands of people, including human rights activists, journalists, students, opposition politicians, businesspeople and peaceful protesters have been arbitrarily detained. 

Many are subjected to unfair trials and mistreatment or torture. Some have died in deplorable prison conditions.

Neither HRW nor Amnesty have offices in Egypt and a block on the HRW website, in place for years, was only lifted a few days ago.

Human rights activists are concerned that the suppression of critical voices will return as soon as the conference closes next week.

During a visit at the start of the week, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for the release of Alaa Abdel Fattah, an Egyptian-British activist who has served lengthy prison terms and is currently on hunger strike while in jail.

With material from DPA news agency