(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - EU foreign policy representative Catherine Ashton has issued a statement condemning the raid on the offices of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) by security forces on 29 December.
In the statement, Ashton, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, expressed “great concern” over the raiding of the offices of several local and international civil society organisations by Egyptian officials.
Ashton criticised the raids, which she described as an “open demonstration of force against civil society organisations,” further explaining that this kind of force is “particularly worrying as it comes in the midst of Egypt’s transition towards democracy.”
Ashton concluded the brief statement by calling on Egyptian authorities to allow civil society organisations to resume their work.
In a sudden development on Thursday afternoon, members of Egypt’s prosecution office, backed up by police and military personnel, raided and then closed 17 offices belonging to at least five different civil society organisations.
The five NGOs that confirmed they were raided by the authorities were the Arab Center for Independence of the Judiciary and the Legal Profession (ACIJLP); the Budgetary and Human Rights Observatory; and the Egyptian branches of Washington-based organisations the National Democratic Institute, the International Republican Institute and Freedom House.
International condemnations quickly followed the raids.
Furthermore, a group of human rights lawyers filed an official complaint to the prosecutor general about the illegal aspects of the raids.
The Egyptian Social Democratic Party has called for a demonstration on Monday evening in front of the prosecutor general’s office to protest the raids.
/129
2 January 2012 - 20:30
News ID: 288246
EU foreign policy representative Catherine Ashton has issued a statement condemning the raid on the offices of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) by security forces on 29 December.
