Egyptian human rights activists condemned on Tuesday American award-winning actress Helen Hunt for her participation in the state-sponsored World Youth Conference they claim glosses over authorities’ rights violations. In an open letter, Mona Seif and a host of other prominent activists slammed Hunt for “support[ing] a dictator responsible for thousands of deaths, arbitrary detentions and disappearances.” On Wednesday morning, the letter had garnered nearly 500 signatures. The letter went on to say that Hunt’s visiting Sharm al-Shaikh, the Red Sea resort where the conference is being held, does not “convey the reality of what it means for Egyptians to live under military rule.” Signatories of the letter included former political detainee Mahienour El-Massry, human rights activist Aida Seif Eldawla who ran the now-closed Nadeem Center and Mohamed Zaree, who last month won the prestigious Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders. The activists claim that the youth conference represents a “whitewashing campaign” by President Sisi, concealing rights abuses that his government is carrying out. The open letter comes amid a storm of criticism on social media gathered under the hashtag #WeNeedToTalk, ironically the youth event’s official hashtag, which has been overwhelmed with…
Egyptian Rights Activists Slam US Actress Helen Hunt in Open Letter
November 8, 2017
