By Salama Ahmed Salama The human rights movement in Egypt has been set back more than 50 years -- roughly to before the days of eminent progressive thinker Mahmoud Azmi, who played a pioneering role in drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The setback is most clearly manifested in the recent halt put to the activities of the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights (EOHR) on unsubstantiated charges. The public prosecution only recently released the EOHR's secretary-general on bail. Far be it from me to delve into a matter under investigation by the authorities, but I believe that the public has the right to be promptly informed of developments in the case. An informed public will allow human rights activists in Egypt to avoid becoming targets of unfounded suspicions in controversial matters, for instance being accused of accepting donations from external sources by associations which implicitly enjoy government approval. Assuming, however, that none of the perpetrators of this setback were ill-intentioned, the real problem is the stark incompatibility between the world community's determination to assist and support human rights organisations and protect human rights activists, on one hand, and the specific situation of human rights organisations in Egypt (a situation which does not prevail in the developed world), on the other. Human rights organisations in Egypt are deliberately denied legal status as a means to reduce them to vague, undefined entities, which betrays the fact that a confused police mentality is in control of such matters. In order to escape accusations that it is hostile to the human rights movement, the Egyptian government permits human rights organisations to be established and to operate with relative freedom. Yet this same government denies these organisations any legal status. Human rights organisations in Egypt have thus become convenient targets; their members are continuously threatened with incarceration and questioned for the least action or report found distasteful to the authorities. In other words, while we show the outside world a human, democratic and innocent face as human rights advocates, our own society experiences only dishonesty and disrespect for human rights. We lack many of the legal procedures necessary for the sound exercise of human rights but, above all, we lack honesty to ourselves. Many Arab countries experiencing conditions similar to our own, such as Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria, have already found viable solutions to this problem. Amazingly, our lawmakers, reputed as they are for their skill and expertise, have not been able to do the same. No one has suggested the establishment of an advisory human rights council. Such a council would provide an organised framework for non-governmental and state-sponsored human rights efforts, confer legitimacy upon human rights organisations, carry out studies and projects, offer advice to concerned bodies, and assist all parties in avoiding abuse or arbitrary judgement in the implementation of relevant legislation and legal procedures. Human rights movements have expanded their scope of activities in the world today. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, President Jacques Chirac has inaugurated an international conference for human rights activists throughout the world, a function at which Egypt has been represented. As the United Nations celebrates the occasion today, scores of speeches and statements will be delivered to commemorate the event. Hiding human rights abuses is no longer possible. Numerous organisations are there to monitor, register and watch over the human rights situation in the world, in large and small countries alike. They address their reports to the relevant governments, since governments are still the prime guarantors -- and prime violators -- of human rights. It is time to bring about a genuine reconciliation between the state and human rights organisations in Egypt, to restore order and to return Egypt to the forefront of human rights activism, where Mahmoud Azmi wished it to be.
