The Egyptian Revolutionary Council (ERC) is a political organization that was founded in 2014 in resistance to the July 3 military coup in Egypt. As a group of Egyptian political forces and groups outside of Egypt, it supports the right of the Egyptian people to “bread, freedom, social justice and dignity”.
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Establishment
The Egyptian Revolutionary Council announced its establishment in August 2014 at the Retaj Royale Hotel in Istanbul. The group believes in the principles of the January 25th Revolution and seeks to work towards achieving the goals of the revolution. The group states:
“We oppose all aspects of corruption and dictatorship in Egypt. We oppose the military coup and all that ensued from it, and we refuse the interference of the military in political life. We believe in constitutional legitimacy and work for the establishment of a civil state that reflects the will of the Egyptian people and their freedom in choosing their government.”
The ERC has three main bureaus each with distinct responsibilities: one that oversees the political aspects and international relations, another that documents crimes and violations committed after Morsi was overthrown, and one that is responsible for communicating with media outlets.
Leadership
ERC is run by an elected Executive Board of the following individuals:
Activities
Maha Azzam has said that the ERC’s role is to address the European community to support the group’s mission.
In February 2015, Maha Azzam wrote an open letter to President Obama on the occasion of the Countering Violent Extremism summit. In the letter she stated that an autocratic regime such as General Sisi’s will lead to the kind of destabilized society that leads to violent extremism.
Ties to Muslim Brotherhood
The Egyptian Revolutionary Council has no strong ties to the Global Muslim Brotherhood. sometimes ERC leaders have been a part of delegations and conference panels that were composed mostly of Muslim Brotherhood members and leaders. In January 2015, then Secretary General, now Deputy President, Waleed Sharaby and Maha Azzam were part of a delegation of Muslim Brotherhood-aligned leaders that was hosted by the U.S. State Department for meetings about the Muslim Brotherhood’s ongoing efforts to oppose the government of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Separately, Sharaby has also openly praised Hamas. In February 2015, Maha Azzam was scheduled to speak at a conference titled “Islam and Democracy” hosted by the Cordoba Foundation at which a wide range of Global Muslim Brotherhood leaders were scheduled to speak.
The Egyptian Revolutionary Council has been criticized by Egyptian leadership as being “another front for the Muslim Brotherhood’s international wing” that is a strategy by Turkey to exert pressure on the Egyptian state.
Maha Azzam has said that Muslim Brotherhood members make up less than 20% of the group, but this number has not been substantiated.