Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. I want to mention the highest-profile political prisoner in Egypt, Alaa Abd el-Fattah. He has been on hunger strike since April. He has been languishing in jail for ten years because he was an activist and an environmentalist. Since he took over the regime, el-Sisi has built a dozen prisons in ten years. There are 60,000 activists locked up. This week many people were arrested and will probably be tortured and thrown in prison for a long period of time because they are environmentalists and climate activists. It is worth quoting Alaa Abd el-Fattah's sister, who has said that those who attend COP27 do not realise their best allies those who are languishing in prison. They are the people in Egypt who really give a damn about the planet. All COPs are problematic and this venue is particularly problematic. Aside from the problems that go with the venue, I would like to argue that we are not just engaged in a greenwashing of companies with regard to COP, and many big companies play a big role, but we are greenwashing an entire state that is known for its repressive measures. I would like the Minister to comment further.

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