Cairo (dailynewyorknews) – Several human rights groups, including three U.S. entities, we searched in Cairo and elsewhere in Egypt on Thursday in what one source called a drive to the police “show of muscle . ”
The police conducted 17 raids of NGOs, aiming for at least 10 groups around the country, the Egyptian general prosecutor’s office said. Specific groups included in the House of Liberty in the United States, the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the International Republican Institute (IRI).
The actions were part of an investigation into allegations that the groups have received funding illegal aliens and have been operating without a permit from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and local ministries, according to Adel Saeed, a spokesman for the Attorney General’s office .
But leaders of organizations in the United States and the U.S. State Department condemned the attacks and called on Egyptian authorities to resume the work groups.
“This action is inconsistent with the bilateral cooperation, we’ve had for many years,” said State Department spokesman, Mrs. Victoria Nuland, said Thursday. Washington asked the Egyptian authorities “to immediately cease harassment of non-governmental organizations (and) NGO staff, return all property and resolve this problem immediately.”
And David Kramer, president of Freedom House, called the crackdown “an escalation of unprecedented repression, even during the Mubarak regime.”
“These actions are part of an intense campaign by the Egyptian government to dismantle the civil society through a politically motivated legal campaign to prevent” illegal transactions of foreign funding of civil society in Egypt, “Kramer said in a statement . “This is the best proof that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, military leaders in power in Egypt, has no intention of allowing the establishment of genuine democracy and civil society efforts for their own scapegoat abject failure to manage the transition effectively Egypt. ”
Saeed, spokesman for the prosecutor’s office said that some of the NGO offices were closed “and some equipment and documents were confiscated. A report will be prepared and sent to judicial authorities for investigation.”
Local police said the insurance, while prosecutors have conducted the search and seizure.
Freedom House said at least two organizations based in Egypt – Arab Center for Independence of Judges and Lawyers, and Human Rights Watch and budget – was also raided. Freedom House urged the Obama administration to “consider $ 1.3 billion that the U.S. provides annually the Egyptian army to finance the purchase of weapons and training.”
“In the current financial climate, the United States should not subsidize authoritarianism in Egypt, while the Egyptian government is to prevent NGOs to implement projects funded democracy and human rights by the U.S. taxpayer” Said Charles Dunne, director of Freedom House in the Middle East and North Africa program.
The other two groups based in the United States, NDI and IRI, promote democratic institutions around the world and observer delegations of Egyptian parliamentary elections. They receive some funding from government agencies in the U.S. and non-partisan, but more or less affiliated with major American political parties.
The current president of the board of IRI, Senator John McCain of Arizona, called the Egyptian repression “unjustified” and “reminiscent of practices of Mubarak regime.”
“I appeal to Egypt’s military rulers to allow non-governmental organizations in Egypt to operate freely and without restrictions, to protect universal human rights for all Egyptians and the Egyptian people to achieve their aspirations for a transition full democratic civilian rule through a fair, inclusive and transparent, “McCain said in a statement.
And Julie Hughes, NDI Country Director for Egypt, said the security forces “attacked at the same time,” with offices in Cairo, Alexandria and Assiut. He called the raids “surprising.”
“They took notebooks, paper, electronic, financial documents, video equipment we use to make a training video for the participants – the things we use to train the media,” Ms. Hughes said. “I really do not know what it is. No order was submitted, no explanation, not the names of people who took possession of the property.”
A person related to the NDI, told CNN that police raided the offices of Cairo “took everything, every piece of paper, computers, personal laptops.” The source was not authorized to speak on the subject and then spoke to CNN on the merits.
Objective of the police of a campaign team has been officially accredited observer, the source said, and appeared to be an attempt by the Egyptian police to “show muscles” – to say that NDI is funded by a foreign government .
The two organizations have operated in Egypt since 2005.
Egypt was ruled by the military since the fall of former President Hosni Mubarak in February. It started at general elections, Islamist parties – including freedom of the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafist Movement Justice and Al Noor – that prevails in the elections so far.
Nasser Amin, director and founder of the Arab Centre Court, said security forces seized “a large amount of material” because it broke into the office in search of computers and documents.
“They showed us a warrant for a search operation and closure of the center, not formally charged,” he said. “I do not understand how they decided that received foreign funding without jeopardizing one of us.”
Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/12/29/world/africa/egypt-ngos/index.html?hpt=iaf_c1
