US Secretary of State has claimed the human rights situation in Egypt has deteriorated in recent weeks and months, referring to the Egyptian government's decision to reopen an investigation on Egyptian non-governmental organizations (NGOs). In an official statement, John Kerry condemned the crackdown on NGOs documenting human rights abuses and defending the freedoms enshrined in Egypt's constitution. "This decision comes against a wider backdrop of arrests and intimidation of political opposition, journalists, civil society activists and cultural figures," the statement reads. Kerry stressed that these steps run contrary to the universal principle of freedom of association and to the Government of Egypt's commitments to support the role of civil society in governance and development. "I urge the Government of Egypt to work with civic groups to ease restrictions on association and expression and to take action to allow these and other human rights NGOs to operate freely," Kerry said.