CAIRO: The Egyptian security forces raid on 17 international and local NGOs in Egypt have sparked condemnation from the United States. The Obama administration demanded late on Thursday that the ruling military junta halt immediately the raids and confiscation of material at the NGO offices in the country, calling them “inconsistent” with US and Egyptian cooperation. The US State Department, in a separate statement, called on the Egypt government “to immediately end the harassment of NGO staff, return all property and resolve this issue.” Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said US ambassador to Egypt Anne Patterson and the top US diplomat for the Middle East have spoken to Egyptian officials about the situation and “made very clear that this issue needs immediate attention.” The security forces, dressed in both uniforms and plainclothes, forced their way into the offices of the Arab Center for Independence of Justice and Legal Professions (ACIJP), The Budgetary and Human Rights Observatory, The National Democratic Institute's (NDI) Cairo and Assiut offices, the International Republic Institute (IRI), Freedom House and Konrad Adenauer. According to the statement from the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS), the employees of the organizations are now under investigation by the public prosecutor and police are going through their papers, laptops and computers on the scene. By mid-Thursday afternoon, staff members of the six organizations had been warned from using their cell phones, laptops and computers; and are being isolated from contact with the outside world. Additionally, with regards to the ACIJP office at least, “authorities restricted access to the entire building, preventing people from entering or exiting the building.” CIHRS said that the move is part of the ruling military junta's “campaign” against civil society and human rights groups in Egypt. In recent months, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) has accused local NGOs of receiving money from abroad, and have argued to the public that the recent unrest in the country is by “foreign hands.” “The NDI, IRI, and Freedom House have been previously investigated by the ministry of justice on charges of receiving foreign funding, while the Arab Center for the Independence of Justice and Legal Professions has not been yet investigated,” said CIHRS. Investigations of the Budgetary and Human Rights Observatory was due to start on Sunday. “The storming of NGO offices is an unprecedented move in the recent history of Egyptian NGOs. In February 2011, during the 18 days Egyptian revolution, Military Police have stormed the office of Hisham Mubarak Law Center (an Egyptian NGO based in Cairo) and arrested several of its members as well as staff members of other international organizations that were present at the scene,” the statement continued. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/uCETn Tags: featured, NGOs, Obama, Raid, SCAF, Security, United States Section: Egypt, Human Rights, Latest News
