By POMED
Atef Makhalif, Undersecretary of the parliamentary Human Rights Committee, announced that the parliament is scheduled to start discussing the law governing non-governmental organizations in Egypt in the coming days. Makhalif explained that criminalizing “non-transparent” foreign funding will be a focus of the deliberations.
Executive Director of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information Gamal Eid believes the law will further constrict NGOs’ ability to operate freely in Egypt. Eid’s assets were frozen frozen in September, along with a number of other prominent rights activists, in relation to an investigation into NGO activities and foreign funding.
Earlier on Tuesday, UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of peaceful assembly and of association Maina Kiai said, “I am concerned about the draft NGO bill which would aggravate an already constraining legislative framework and raise further questions about compatibility of the Egyptian legislation with its international human rights obligations.” He added, “The Government seems to be systematically attacking civil society in an effort to silence its voice.”
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