* News Release Issued by the International Secretariat of Amnesty
International *
3 July 2000
AI Index MDE 12/022/2000
News Service Nr. 129
News Flash
EGYPT
Concerns about the arrest of Dr.Saad Eddin Ibrahim
Amnesty International wrote today to the Egyptian Government
expressing concern about the arrest of the human rights defender
Dr Saad Eddin Ibrahim, Director of the Ibn Khaldun Center for
Development Studies and lecturer at the American University in
Cairo (AUC), on 1 July 2000.
The human rights organization is concerned at reports that Dr Saad
Eddin Ibrahim is accused, among other charges, of receiving funds
from and collaborating with foreign parties on projects aimed at
tarnishing Egypt's reputation, charges similar to those previously
brought against other human rights defenders.
In recent months and years Amnesty International and other human
rights organizations have raised concerns about repeated attempts
by the Egyptian authorities to muzzle and intimidate human rights
defenders by levelling at them such charges.
BACKGROUND
A new law regulating the functioning of Non Governmental
Organizations(NGOs), which came into force in 1999, imposed a wide
range of restrictive conditions, including a requirement that NGOs
seek prior approval from the authorities for various activities at
the international and local levels. The law and the possible
implications of its application sparked controversy and alarmed
human rights activists who feared that it might be used to curb
and limit their activities.
ENDS.../
Amnesty International, International Secretariat, 1 Easton Street,
WC1X 8DJ, London, United Kingdom
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