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Human rights movement stands-up against police measures and says:
No to closing down the Association of Human Rights and Legal Aid
Cairo, 9 Sept, 2007
Egyptian human rights organizations and societies joined forces and gathered inside the office of the Association of Human Rights and Legal Aid Saturday night 8 September and decided to stand-up to the police measures taken by the Egyptian government to shut down the Association in retaliation to its significant role in exposing the institutionalized and widespread torture wave hitting Egypt.
Representatives from most of the human rights organizations and societies working in Egypt came to rally inside the office of AHRLA immediately after the Association was notified of a closing-down order as the ministry of social security alleged financial Malfeasances in an attempt to defame AHRLA and set the ground to shut it down after the Egyptian government presumed that it has managed to silence the voice of the centre for trade union and workers syndicate.
Representatives of Human rights organization in Egypt decided to fight back against these flagrant police practices by using all the available legitimate measures e.g. labor strike, demonstrations, closing-down their websites and exposing the practices of the Egyptian government before international organizations and regional unions ( European Union, African Union and the UN and its various committees).Egyptian Human rights organizations working in Egypt also intend to sue the Egyptian government and expose its authoritative and unabated institutionalized torture practices. The Egyptian government instead of working to improve its human rights records has shown a relentless desire to silence one of the most outspoken voices against these practices which are rife under the emergency laws and include unfair trails and gagged press.
Human rights organizations working in Egypt decided that AHRLA will not have its voice silenced under any circumstances as Hisham Mubark centre and HRINFO decided to share their offices with the Association in case the authorities forced AHRLA out.
The gestures the Egyptian government showed to defame AHRLA by purporting financial malfeasances was an escalating factor that contributed to enrage human rights organizations and induce them to stand-up against these disgraceful practices given the fact that the association which is suffering from lack of funds yet not of will has seen many harassments made by the ministry of social security which is nearly working as a façade for the dominant state security services and its iron hand laid upon the freedom of the press and human rights.
"The attempt to shut down AHRLA will not pass, it's a show-down between us and this police-minded government, the government falsely believes that it can make it as it did with the union centre and to hide this politically motivated decision behind a legal mask, which is an over-used practice. The government has no other resort but to reveal its true domineering face and send us to jails or to acknowledge the right of the civil society to work freely and independently". Representatives of human rights organizations said.
Representatives of human rights organizations refused to bring the case before the ineffective body i.e. the national council of human rights." This council and its members know very well what is going on, the policy of compromise they maintain is not effective any more and they have to decide which side they will take, either the government and its promised heaven or stepping up on the plate and join the people in their struggle for a democratic life and civil organizations that truly represent them" Representatives of human rights organizations said.
Preliminary signatories:
The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information
Nadeem Center for Psychological Therapy and Rehabilitation of the Victims of Violence
Egyptian Association against Torture
Hisham Mubarak Law Center
The Egyptian Association for Community Participation Enhancement
Andalus Institute for Tolerance and Anti-violence Studies - Cairo
New Women's Foundation - Cairo
The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
The Arab Program for Human Rights Activists
The Egyptian Social Democratic Center
Egyptian Association against Torture
Land Centre for Human Rights
The Egyptian centre for development and democratic studies
The Egyptian society for participation and sustained development
The Arabic centre for democracy and human rights
The society of justice advocates for human rights
The Egyptian organization for human rights
Egyptian association for supporting democracy
The association of health and environmental development
The Egyptian Association for the Support of Democratic Development
The Arab Institute for Civil Society and Human Rights Support
The association of freedom of thought and expression
The Arab Penal Reform Organization
The civil observatory for human rights
Centre for trade union and workers syndicate
The association for democratic development
The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights
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