The Egyptian parliament on Tuesday approved a draft law to regulate the activities of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), in a move expected to trigger new fears of an intensified crackdown on civil society.
The text submitted by more than 200 lawmakers was sent to the Egyptian Council of State, the parliament’s Web site said, referring to the legal body that examines and amends legislation before it is ratified by the assembly.
Since the army ousted former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013, authorities have cracked down on all sorts of opposition, including human rights organizations.
The draft bill calls for jail terms of up to five years and fines of up to 1 million Egyptian pounds (US$64,117) for violations of the law, according to the heads of two NGOs who have seen the text.
“The organizations will not be able to carry out their activities without the prior authorization of the administrative authorities,” said Adel Ramadan, who heads the legal department of watchdog Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights.
If the draft bill becomes law, “NGOs will not be able to carry out a study or a survey without a permit from the state,” he said.
“And another permit will be needed in order to publish the study or the survey,” he said, adding that he also feared for the fate of charities whose work is far removed from politics.
Foreign NGOs would also have to pay up to 300,000 Egyptian pounds in order to have a presence in Egypt and apply for a permit, which they would have to renew when it expires.
The draft bill stipulates the creation of a “national authority” comprised of representatives of the security and intelligence services, and the army, who would oversee foreign funds and the activities of foreign NGOs.
“These are associations that help the government,” said Mona Gaballah, a lawmaker for the liberal Free Egyptians Party. “But this is a law for the national security of Egypt, put in place because questionable organizations with suspicious funding also exist.”
“This is my worst nightmare, when I see such draft bills,” said Mohamed Zaree, head of the Egypt program at the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies. “They are closing the door on all organizations or associations which would have liked to deal with human rights in the future.”
Human rights groups have accused the government of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi of violations, including forced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and illegal detentions.
Egyptian and foreign NGOs operating in the country are governed by a stiff law, which allows the government to supervise their activities and finances.
In September, a court froze the assets of five prominent human rights defenders and three NGOs, which had been under investigation for allegedly receiving foreign funds in a case dating from 2011.
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