Ministry of Social Solidarity has extended the registration deadline for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for 45 days in response to demands from the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR). The extension is to give NGOs more time to adjust their legal status, read a NCHR statement released Sunday. NGOs issued a joint statement on Saturday announcing their refusal to register under a Mubarak-era law (law 84/2002) which allows the government to control NGOs. The law gives the government the powers to shut down any group at will, freeze its assets, confiscate its property and block funding. The law also allows the government to deny requests to affiliate with international organisations, according to a Human Rights Watch (HRW) statement. Egyptian organisations have been seeking to abolish the law since its enactment, with the government proposing several draft laws since then, but none have become binding until now. The last proposal, made in July, was rejected by 29 NGOs who said it allowed the government to interfere in their affairs and pose "unconstitutional" restrictions.
