- Human RightsReform Issues
- September 3, 2007
- 3 minutes read
More Violations Against Rights Groups in Egypt
In a new violation to human rights in Egypt that, some Egyptian newspapers quoted a minister saying he plans to dissolve the Association for Human Rights Legal Aid (AHRLA) under pretext of committing financial violations. On its part, the AHRLA denied such claims and said in a statement posted on its web site that they will legally challenge such claims. The AHRLA pointed out that this decision mainly aims to stop its campaign against torture in Egypt .
Gamal Eid, the executive manager of Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (HRinfo), said:” This isn”t the first attack and won”t be the last one launched by the government who maintains a nonstop campaign against human rights societies. The government adopted the same method against the house for worker union services, accusing it of inciting workers in their recent and continuous protests. The government dissolved this house to test the reaction if it went on in its violations and dissolved some active societies .
Eid pointed out that the Association for Human Rights Legal Aid is an active anti-torture society. Instead of stopping the wide-spread torture, the government silences voices calling for stopping torture in Egypt. After, it managed to stop the first society, it started to see Egyptian human rights societies in a dominos effect, to stop the activities of these agencies one after the other .
Eid added in a statement to Ikhwanweb: Human rights societies in Egypt must maintain their activities so that the government shuts them down by force and unveil to the world its ugly face and end the illusion of defending human rights.
The government”s fierce attacks aren”t against human rights societies only. They also includes bloggers, independent newspapers and human rights societies. These three parties are attacked by the government because they serve Egyptian citizens while the government does not those working without its conditions.
The confrontations will not stop as long as there is a tyrant-led government in Egypt. The only solution is that we win the fight for democracy which is unfortunately a very long path.
It is worth mentioning that the Social Solidarity Ministry (that covers civil society organizations) has recently shut down the labor services house, workers” service centre.
For its part, Ikhwanweb declares its full solidarity with the Association For Human Rights Legal Aid and all human rights groups and civil society organizations that face heavy pressures from Egyptian government .
Ikhwanweb confirms also that the government”s repressive policy against civil society institutions only add fuel to fire in the Egyptian arena, leading to instability in Egypt.