The report, "State of Human Rights in the Arab Region in 2008," cited
Egypt and Lebanon. These two countries, which signed the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, were said to have undergone a serious
decline in human rights.
"Yet these same mechanisms are currently being greatly undermined and
slowly dismantled by the actions of Arab states," the report said.
Egyptian human rights organizations have sought to support democracy
throughout North Africa. On May 17, the organizations issued a statement in
solidarity with three Moroccan newspapers sued by the Libyan embassy in
Rabat.
The newspapers, Maghreb News, First Newspaper and The Evening, were
accused of defaming Libyan leader Moammar Khaddafy by calling Libya and
other North African states undemocratic. If convicted, the editors of these
newspapers could face two years in jail.
"Col. Khaddafy, who has repeatedly made public rhetorical statements
about the alleged reforms in recent years, forgot or pretended to have
forgotten that there shall be no democracy without freedom of expression,
and that suppression of freedom of expression is a feature of all the
governments of
North Africa, especially Libya and Tunisia," the Egyptian organizations
said.