By Bhavini Srivastava
In November 2016, a Bill titled “Law on Civil Societies and Foundations and Other Entities Working in the Civil Sphere” was moved in the parliament of Egypt. It introduced several bureaucratic hurdles in the operational freedom of NGOs and activists working in the field of human rights.
Salient features of the Bill include the need of a written approval from the Ministry of Social Solidarity for forming an association or opening offices in any governorate. Further, no fieldwork or poll can be conducted without permission; an increased license fee; bank accounts of NGOs to be placed under Central Bank surveillance; and up to 5 years of jail term for non-compliance.
The Bill has been approved by the State Council. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisis assent is pending. Human Rights Watch has been following the status of the Bill with active interest and has urged the President to refrain from signing the Bill.
A significant crackdown on civil society organisations has been taking place in Egypt since 2014 | Photo Courtesy: Front Line DefendersA history of crackdowns
[su_pullquote align=”right”]Many activities have been carried out by the country’s government to contain the civil society organisations in the country.[/su_pullquote]
Since the toppling of democratically elected government by Mohammad Morsi, President el-Sisi has shown tyrannical behaviour. It was exhibited through the unfeeling rashness exercised in making public decisions. Before the Bill was introduced, Egypt had been witnessing a curmudgeon between the government and the NGOs receiving foreign aid. Many activities have been carried out by the country’s government to contain the civil society organisations in the country.
[su_pullquote]Institutions that were not de-licensed were forced to shut down due to financial constraints, like the Tahrir Academy.[/su_pullquote]
In 2017, the Al-Nadeem Centre for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence and Torture, which had been operating for the past 24 years, was de-licensed. Institutions that were not de-licensed were forced to shut down due to financial constraints, like the Tahrir Academy. It is important to notice that Tahrir Academy had won the Best Social Enterprise Award from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2015.
In 2015, a Cairo criminal court froze assets of three groups and five human rights defenders. Also, in 2014, a presidential decree was passed and an amendment was made to the Penal Code, imposing heavy penalties and death sentence or life imprisonment on NGOs receiving foreign funds. In 2011, occurred the infamous NGO Foreign Funding Case in which unbridled police raids were conducted on 17 NGOs across Cairo. Further, there were also instance of travel bans being issues against human rights activists in the past.
Dodging public scrutiny
This Bill, passed under the pretext of protecting national security will squeeze the life out of civil society in Egypt. NGOs functioning through foreign funds are looked at with keen scrutiny and suspicion. The draft is ambiguous, allowing the government to interpret it in its favour. The Bill bestows sweeping powers on the government officialsincluding the power to make arrests and incarcerate on a whim.
[su_quote cite=”Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa Director at Human Rights Watch “]Egypts parliament is trying to dodge public scrutiny by rushing into force a law that would effectively ban what remains of the countrys independent civil society groups.[/su_quote]
Amnesty International touts the bill as a “death warrant” for Egyptian NGOs.
Forecasting doom
Egypt has ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights. These are the organisations which protect the freedom of association. However, human life has taken a backseat in Egypt and fear looms large on all.
The organisations are being shut down without the government making any alternate arrangements for the victims taking aid from the NGOs.
All this gives the indication that the state is at war with the civil society. The crackdown of the Bill is unprecedented, arbitrary and politically motivated. While the government claims to be exercising its sovereignty, the world continues to be astounded by the cold insensitivity.