Towards the end of March, the Egyptian government continued their ongoing investigation of NGOs in Egypt, specifically related to Case No 173, or the case on foreign funding for NGOs, which dates back to 2011. The case and its findings have been used to give 1 to 5 year sentences to over 40 foreign and Egyptian employees of foreign NGOs. According to Mada Masr, an independent news media source in Egypt, a Cairo Criminal Court is again reviewing a ruling to freeze the assets of four defendants, pending investigation. The Euromed Human Rights networks is calling for action in response to the latest attempts to silence Egyptian civil society. In a statement on March 23, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein expressed concern over the closure of hundreds of civil society organizations in Egypt and the prosecutions of numerous human rights defenders for their legitimate work since November 2014. Many have called the European Parliament to build on their current Resolution on Egypt.

Egyptian Center for Public Policy Studies, a World Movement for Democracy participating organization, and other NGOs are requesting your help in contacting your government, publicizing these issues, and sharing concerns with the Egyptian government.

(Photo: Investigative journalist Hossam Baghat, center, leaves a courtroom at the Cairo Criminal Court after the court postponed a decision on whether to implement an order to freeze his assets over allegations of illegal foreign funding, in Cairo, Egypt, March 24, 2016.)