Families of BBC Reporters in Iran Targeted
February 6, 2012
Iran Puts Its Foot Down: Netizens, Reporters, and Civil Rights Get Squashed
February 9, 2012
Arseh Sevom — The Egyptian public prosecutor has issued more than 40 indictments against members of international NGOs for participating in banned activities and receiving funding from foreign sources. The Arabist has published a list of names and affiliations. Nineteen of those indicted are American citizens.
The Guardian reports that NGOs attempting to legally register in Egypt face a long wait and confusing bureaucracy:
“You submit your papers, then they keep asking for more and you don’t get anywhere, and in the end you are not registered,” said Sherif Azer, deputy head of the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights.
NDI [National Democratic Institute] submitted a request in 2005 that did not meet with much interest by the authorities and was asked to resubmit its papers by the ministry of foreign affairs last month, Hughes said. “We were given verbal indications that our programmes were well within Egyptian law,” she said.
The Daily Beast shares a report of a dramatic raid on NGO offices, complete with officers armed with AK-47s.
It’s not unusual for NGOs to be targeted as security risks by the ruling military in Egypt. Many state that the recent indictments are a result of the ruling military’s efforts to crackdown on critical voices.
NGOs with indicted staffers include:
- NDI (National Democratic Institute)
- IRI (International Republican Institute)
- Konrad Adenauer Stiftung
- Freedom House
- International Center For Journalists
