European Parliament: AHRLA Closed Due to Revealing Official Involvement in Torturing

The Foreign Affairs Committee at the European Parliament (EP) sent a letter to the Egyptian ambassador to Belgium Dr. Mahmoud Karem in which it voiced its concern over the disturbing information from international organizations about the situation of Association for Human Rights Legal Aid (AHRLA).
 
This letter comes after Cairo governor issued a decision of dissolving the Association For Human Rights Legal Aid without getting a permission from the Minister of Social Solidarity. the Association For Human Rights Legal Aid is a non-governmental organization founded by a team of human rights activists and was made public on December, 18th, 1999, aiming to spread the human rights culture, offer legal aid to victims of human rights violations, promote human rights awareness among wider sections of citizens, and to clear the local legislative structure from laws that do not agree with the constitution .
 
The letter sent by the chief of the European Parliament”s subcommittee on the human rights, Helen Floater, said ” The real cause behind closing the Association For Human Rights Legal Aid is because it shed light on a torture case in which a top security official is involved”, adding that the declared claim is receiving foreign funding to cover the real reason.
 
The letter sent last Thursday added that Association For Human Rights Legal Aid “has continuously showed a transparent management for funds” and that its work is very important, specially in seeking key rights whose defence was common and vital target in the European-Egyptian relations.
 
The letter demanded the European Commission ” give a maximum priority to the issue of the Association For Human Rights Legal Aid in the coming meeting of thr Egyptian European subcommittee on human rights, scheduled Jan, 28th, 2008.
 
The Association For Human Rights Legal Aid that offers a legal aid to torture victims, was closed last September upon a decision from Cairo Governorate, allegedly because of administrative and financial violations.