 | Egypt’s oppressive, anti-gay regime is looking for investment from brands like Marriott and Microsoft. We’re asking big business to speak out this Friday: sign now and push companies to help stop President Sisi’s crackdown.  | |
Dear Luc,
Shot dead for peacefully protesting. That’s how Egypt’s oppressive human rights crackdown ended for Shaimaa al-Sabbagh, a 32-year-old woman in Cairo. And President Sisi has had thousands more protesters killed and jailed. Hundreds of people who seem "too gay” have been arrested and tortured as part of the crackdown too.
Right now, Egypt is seeking greater investment from big global brands like Kellogg's, Microsoft and Marriott. Sisi is even hosting a big summit where he hopes to nail down deals. He can’t afford to miss out on foreign money, so the companies have influence.
3 days left. These companies rely on a good reputation: they’ll listen if we ask them to take a stand against Egypt’s oppression.Will you call for investors to urge Sisi to end his violent human rights crackdown? Sign now – the petition will be sent directly to the CEOs on Friday.go.allout.org/en/a/egypt-investors In the last 18 months, 1,500 Egyptian protesters have been killed and tens of thousands thrown in jail. Amidst this general human rights crackdown, people thought to be lesbian, gay, bi or trans have been targeted too, with police raiding public spaces and even using online dating sites to hunt “suspects” down.
Recent reports have even revealed that torturous anal exams are being performed by government doctors to see if a man is a "chronic homosexual." The exams are based on outdated science that is 150 years old.
Sisi wants to attract billions of dollars of foreign investment to Egypt. A glitzy economic conference in Sharm El-Sheikh to woo foreign companies is key to Egypt's economic recovery plan. The conference will take place in March – so invites are being sent out now.
Microsoft committed to respecting human rights in a global statement. Kellogg's sponsored a Pride March in the US state of Atlanta. Marriott offers gay and lesbian wedding packages at its UK hotels. These companies are proud to be pro-equality – call on them to take a stand.
Last March, All Out members got telecomms company Orange to pull ads from a Ugandan tabloid that was putting gay, lesbian and bi people in danger by outing them. And in 2013, we got some sponsors of the Sochi Winter Olympics to denounce Russia’s anti-gay laws. Now let’s get foreign investors to speak out and help end President Sisi’s oppressive crackdown in Egypt.
Thanks for going All Out,
Andre, Rose, Guillaume, Anthony, Pablo, Leandro, Tile, Lucy and the All Out team
P.S. Egypt is currently inviting companies to its big economic conference. So right now, President Sisi is sensitive to what foreign investors say. Call for them to take a stand against Egypt’s oppressive crackdown – we're delivering the petition on Friday: go.allout.org/en/a/egypt-investors
