Egypt issues NGO law, cracking down on dissent, 29 May 2017

Egypt issued a new law on Monday [29 May 2017] that regulates the work of non-governmental organisations, a measure seen by rights groups as the latest sign of a growing crackdown on dissent … The government had been working for years on a new law regulating NGOs, which rights groups feared would be more restrictive than Mubarak-era rules, but the bill drafted by lawmakers was so restrictive even cabinet ministers objected … Mohamed Zaree, Egypt programme director at the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, told Reuters the new law on NGOs was "the worst in history" and would practically ban NGOs from carrying out their work … Lawmakers say the measure is necessary to protect national security. The government has long accused human rights groups of taking foreign funds to sow chaos and several are facing investigation over their funding … Under the new law, donations exceeding 10,000 Egyptian pounds ($550) must be preapproved. If no approval is granted within 60 days the request is automatically denied. Failure to inform authorities could result in jail terms of up to five years and fines of up to 1 million pounds ($55,000). The law also gives the government power over deciding who can establish an NGO and for what purpose. It obliges groups to stick to the "state's development plan", severely restricting the work they can do in areas the government does not consider a priority. The law also bans domestic and foreign groups from engaging in political activities or anything that harms national security, public order, public morals or public health - a means, say rights groups, to stifle dissent.