CAIRO: In a sudden move Monday, the Shoura Council (Egypt's Upper House of Parliament) announced the replacement of Deputy Head of the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) Ahmed Kamal Aboul Magd, by the former head of the Higher Judicial Council and the Court of Cassation Moqbel Shaker. Aboul Magd told the local press that his dismissal was a complete surprise as he was not officially informed of it prior to the announcement. He added that he learned about it through the media, but that the decision lifted a huge burden off his shoulders. He also denied claims that he was asked to remain on the board of the NCHR. He said that he will continue to focus his energies on three issues: exposing the corruption that has led to a crisis of trust between the government and the people; freedom, human rights and the sovereignty of law, and the renewal of religious and political discourse. Commenting on the sudden dismissal, Hafez Abu Saeda, secretary general of Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR), said, "No one knows why Dr. Aboul Magd was removed; even he doesn't know. All analyses indicate that it's a political issue, but there are a lot of other anti-government activists besides him. Abu Saeda then added that his dismissal is a big loss for the council because Aboul Magd has a wealth of experience. Boutros Boutros Ghali, the NCHR's Secretary General, and Aboul Magd complemented each other to ensure the council's independence, he said. On a more critical note, Hossam Bahgat, chairman of Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, told Daily News Egypt that the experience over the past six years since the council's establishment "shows that NCHR members play a secondary role in the council's activities. He added that the effectiveness of the council depends on the secretary general, the secretariat and the team of researchers. "The main weakness of the council during the past years lies on the fact that not a single job in the secretariat was advertised in the newspapers, implying that they were all appointed. "We don't know how members of secretariat are appointed even though they are responsible for selecting projects, designing interventions, and funding them. So any change in membership will not have a significant impact on the council role's or effectiveness. For us the problem is in the secretariats of the council not in the membership. While he commended Moqbel Shaker's long experience in the judiciary, Abu Seada questioned his familiarity with human rights issues. NCHR was established in 2004 by the government to monitor human rights violations. Since then, there has been much debate over the council s role, especially at a time when the media has been launching campaigns against torture cases. Rights activists have often complained that the structure of the NCHR strips it of its independence because most of its members have an organic relationship with the ruling National Democratic Party or empathize with it.
