Egyptian human rights take a hit with tough new law

Human rights activists and others strongly criticized the new NGO law, saying it gives the government sweeping new powers to refuse registration or eventually shut down a group; to monitor and approve of an NGO's key activities, including foreign fundraising; and even to approve the selection of its board of directors. Just last month, the authorities rejected a board nominee for a women's rights organization.

Some groups critical of the government are trying to bypass registration altogether. Ibrahim, for instance, registered his center as a for-profit company, rather than an NGO, to avoid the new law's restrictions under the Ministry of Social Affairs.

Some speculate that this sidestepping may have been the reason for the government's occupation of the Ibn Khaldoun Center. If so, the authorities aren't saying. In fact, they deny that State Security occupied this building: "Ibn Khaldoun's occupation by the security services never happened," states Nabil Osman, director of Egypt's State Information Service.

The two groups whose registrations were refused, the New Woman Research Center, a prominent women's rights advocacy group, and the Land Center for Human Rights, a labor advocacy group for peasants and farm workers, say they will fight the government's decision in court.

The government, for its part, says its decision is not final; the two groups merely had errors on their application that must be corrected. "They were not refused," maintains Osman. "They were asked to adapt themselves to the law."

Nevertheless, the letters to both organizations state that State Security rejected their registration. What infuriated the activists was the letter's implication: they were refused for security reasons.

While many analysts agreed that the Egyptian government's latest moves were alarming, others were less concerned. "I wouldn't say that Egypt's civil society is under threat," says one Western diplomat. "There's a process unfolding and we're eager to see how it turns out. At this point we have indicators that are not so positive."

He added that even Western governments try to regulate their nonprofit organizations. This is especially important, he said, to prevent the funding of terrorist organizations, for example.

While Egypt's resolve to implement democratic reform might seem shaky, some other Arab countries are moving ahead. Jordan just held parliamentary elections this week that allowed opposition Islamic candidates to regain a foothold after boycotting the 1997 elections. Last September Morocco also held parliamentary elections that reserved nearly 10 percent of the seats for women.

In Ibrahim's opinion the government's latest actions show an internal battle between the old and new guard. "There is the old guard, left over from the authoritarian Nasser years," he says, referring to Egypt's ardent nationalist leader President Abdel Nasser. "And there are new forces that are trying to join the world and to liberalize ... society, but that young wing backs down when there is a confrontation."

Whatever the government's motives, members of Egypt's civil society say they'll fight with whatever peaceful means they have to safeguard their existence.

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