Egyptian activists criticise NGOs law

Human rights and civil society activists here voiced concern over President Hosni Mubarak's ratification yesterday of a law regulating the activities and financing of the non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

"This is the government's tool to 'legally' violate human rights in Egypt." Gasser Abdel Razik, a human rights activist," told Gulf News in a telephone interview following the announcement of the law yesterday.

The new law gives the Ministry of Social Affairs power to approve or dissolve non-governmental organisations without going through the court.

The law also prohibits NGOs from engaging in any political activities. Human Rights groups believe that this law is specially designed to restrict their work and to close the only open door for legal political or civil society activities.

"The government does not tolerate the minimum existence of any groups advocating democracy, or able to lobby for any cause or to mobilise people," Gasser added.

The government-run daily, Al Ahram, published in its front page yesterday a small headline on the ratification. In the inside pages it elaborated that Mubarak actually ratified the law on Wednesday before he started his visit to the United States. However, the news was published only yesterday after Mubarak had returned from Washington.

The parliament, dominated by the ruling National Democratic party, passed the law with large majority on June 3, after the Shura Council, or Upper House, approved it in May. Human rights groups had appealed to Mubarak not to ratify the law.

The state-run press has been campaigning in favour of the law which portrayed as a tool to organise civil society. State-run Al Gomhuriya newspaper quoted Minister of Social Affairs Amina El Guindi few weeks ago as saying, "The new law asserts the responsible freedom of civil associations."

The new law is an amended version of controversial NGO law introducedin 1999 but later was overturn by the Constitutional court on procedural grounds.

Article 17 forbids "obtaining funds from or sending funds to a foreign party" without government approval. Rights groups claim this article aims to legitimise Military Decree No. 4 of 1992, which is frequently used to silence criticism of the government.

Omar Abdel Akher, the head of the General Union for Private Associations and Organisation, a government body, was quoted in Al Ahram as saying that, "The new law achieved a total balance between the government and the NGO. At the same time it has taken into consideration the country's national security. "The state is keen on human rights and freedom of forming associations, however, this should not jeopardize national security," he added.

The Egyptian government has been widely criticised over human rights and civil society violations by many international and local organisations including the Amnesty International report published last month.

Democracy advocate, Saad Eddin Ibrahim, still stands retrial for receiving funds from a foreign country. He was arrested as hewas preparing to monitor 2000 parliamentary election.

The head of the Egyptian Human Rights Society, Hafez Abu Seada, was also arrested in 1998 following publishing a report about a sectarian violence between Muslims and Copts in upper Egypt, in which he blamed the police for not acting fast enough to prevent the clashes. But he was released after a wide international protest from human rights groups.

"The government is determined to control the civil society after it has controlled the political parties, leaving no space for legitimate political activities," Gasser added.