Egypt : attack on human rights organizations and civil society

29/12/2011
Press release

The undersigned organizations condemn the broad, ongoing attack on human
rights organizations and civil society, which today included raids on
several rights organizations that actively work to promote democracy.
Police and military forces, accompanied by members of the Public
Prosecution, stormed the offices of the Arab Center for the Independence
of the Judiciary and Legal Profession, the Budgetary and Human Rights
Observatory, and other international human rights and pro-democracy
institutions. This serious step marks the beginning of a security
campaign that is expected to affect dozens of advocacy groups, and is
part of a broader campaign launched by the Supreme Council of the Armed
Forces (SCAF) to smear and stigmatize all rights activists and numerous
forces involved in the January 25 revolution.

The undersigned organizations believe that the aim of this unprecedented
campaign is to cover up the SCAF’s failures in the transitional period
and harass political groups, activists, and rights advocates who have
dared criticize its policies, expose the shameful abuses that have taken
place under its administration, and in some cases successfully pursued
legal action against military violations before the courts.
We regret to say that with each passing day, the SCAF proves not only
its hostility to the fundamental goals of the Egyptian revolution and
the sacrifices of its martyrs, but demonstrates its deeply held desire
to settle accounts with political and advocacy groups that played a
prominent role in ushering in the revolution or during the uprising
itself, or that have created and promoted programs with the objective of
building a new political system on the ruins of the Mubarak regime and
its authoritarian methods, which the SCAF is now reproducing in an even
uglier, more dangerous form.

The undersigned organizations stress that the growing repression will
not deter them from continuing in their mission to defend victims of
human rights abuses and expose violations against them. We firmly
believe that the support of the forces of the revolution that stand with
us against repression and affronts to human dignity, as well as
international solidarity springing from a common belief in the nobility
and universality of human rights principles, will only increase our
commitment to our mission, our resolve not to betray the voices of the
victims, and our determination to see the hand of justice hold
accountable those responsible for human rights crimes, whether during or
after the Mubarak era.

List of Signatories:

1. Arab Foundation for Civil Society and Human Rights Support

2. Partisans of Justice Center

3. Association for Human Rights Legal Aid

4. Center for Trade Union and Workers Services

5. Center for Egyptian Women’s Legal Assistance

6. El-Nadim Center for Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence

7. Andalus Institute for Tolerance and Anti-Violence Studies

8. Egyptian Organization for Human Rights

9. Arab Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and Legal
Profession

10. Center for Communication Support (ACT)

11. Budgetary and Human Rights Observatory

12. Arabic Network for Human Rights Information

13. Free Egyptian Movement

14. One World Foundation

15. New Woman Foundation

16. Association for Human Development

17. Egyptian Association for Community Participation Enhancement

18. Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights

19. Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights

20. Egyptian Center for the Right to Housing

21. Mohsen Bahnasi, lawyer and rights activist

22. Hisham Mubarak Law Center

23. Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights

24. Egyptian Association for Disseminating and Developing Legal
Awareness

25. One Nation for Development and Liberties

26. Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression

27. No Military Trials for Civilians Group

28. Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies

29. Cairo Liberal Forum

30. Nazra for Feminist Studies

31. Egyptian democratic academy

Read more