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Egypt's bad cop

Egypt's bad cop

The Slow Newscast • S1, Episode 174

Egypt's bad cop

Each year, world leaders meet for the Climate Change Conference to discuss what action the world can agree on. This year, they are meeting in a resort city on the southern tip of Egypt’s Sinai peninsula. With African countries facing the worst effects of climate change, it makes sense. But there is another side to this. Egypt’s human rights record under its current leader, President Sisi, is worrying. There are violent crackdowns, repressions and no freedom for protest. By providing them with a platform to host the biggest act of diplomacy in the calendar, are we allowing Egypt to greenwash its reputation? Does the need for solutions to climate change trump all other concerns? And, in fact, is it even possible to achieve climate targets without a strong track record on human rights? Through the story of a dual-national Alaa Abd El-Fattah, we look at the uneasy pact the world is making with itself.

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