A wave of international criticism followed the Cairo Criminal Court’s decision to freeze the assets of five prominent human rights defenders and three non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on Saturday. The European Union External Action Service criticized Saturday’s court decision in a statement, saying it “will directly affect a wide range of civil society organizations operating in the field of human rights.” “The increased pressure on independent Egyptian civil society, in particular human rights organizations and defenders, is not in line with Egypt’s commitments to promote and respect human rights and fundamental freedoms as guaranteed by its Constitution and enshrined in the EU-Egypt Association Agreement, which is the basis for our partnership,” the statement reads. The EU further called on Egyptian authorities to “allow the independent functioning of civil society organizations and human rights defenders as guaranteed by the Egyptian Constitution and in line with international human rights standards.” Amnesty International also denounced the court decision, calling it a “shameless ploy to silence human rights activism.” “We are calling for this unjust ruling to be quashed with immediate effect, and for the Egyptian authorities to cease their harassment of these human rights…
International Organizations Slam Egyptian Court Decision Against Human Rights Activists
September 19, 2016
