Among the organizations that signed the statement are the Cairo Institute for Human Rights, the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, and the Hisham Mubarak Law Center.
In the statement, the organizations expressed the hope that the dialogue would lead to a more productive partnership between civil rights organizations and the government. They also expressed a desire for the government to support their work to expose abuses and shortcomings in various political, social, and economic rights, and in suggesting alternative policies to successive future governments. This “includes providing tips and suggestions to the government on how to handle the recommendations it received during its Universal Periodic Review in front of the United Nations Human Rights Council,” as well as “assisting the government in meeting the huge challenges facing Egypt, which include the risk of escalating terrorism, the continuous deterioration of policies and services in health, education, and housing, and increasing violations of Egyptians’ civil and political rights.”
The statement also expressed the wish of the organizations to create a more transparent “legal structure for administrative and security interventions in their work,” that respects Article 75 of the Constitution of 2014, which “emphasizes the freedom of action of NGOs.”
In related news, the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information released a report today titled “Violations of a Constitution Before the Ink Is Dry,” which details no less than twelve separate instances of systematic violations of the Constitution of 2014 by the Sisi government during its time in power.
These infringements, the report alleges, are made possible by laws and institutional procedures that violate the constitution, and yet go unchallenged in the courts. Of the twelve constitutional articles that ANHRI identifies as having been repeatedly violated, nine fall under the category of human rights protections. The report highlights President Sisi’s October 27 law, which broadened the jurisdiction of military courts. According to the report, the law violates Article 204 of the Constitution, which stipulates that “no civilian shall face trial before the military court, except for crimes that constitute a direct assault against military facilities.”
The report also highlights law 84/2002 requiring NGOs to register their activities with the government or face dissolution, which is in breach of Article 75 of the Constitution, which asserts the freedom of association and the right of NGOs to practice freely.
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POMED. Copyright © 2014 The Project on Middle East Democracy.