Egypt court drops charges against 4 NGOs

The Cairo court of appeal yesterday dropped the charges against four human rights and civil society organisations and lifted travel bans imposed on them.

The decision was reported by local media to have included the Andalus Institute for Tolerance and anti-Violence Studies, the New Future House Centre for Human Rights and Legal Studies, the Human Development Association in Mansoura, and the Egyptian Centre for Economic and Social Rights.

The case dates back to the January 2011 revolution, under which the rights groups had their assets frozen and their staff barred from travelling.

READ: Egypt denies violating human rights laws

Under the court verdict, the civil organisations would be relieved from the legal restrictions that had been imposed on them, including “being banned from travelling and having their assets frozen.”

The release comes days after the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi launched what he described as the “National Strategy for Human Rights,” which he said would “achieve the goals of the government’s Vision 2030,” and would include resolving “civil, political, economic, social and cultural, women and children’s rights in Egypt.”

Al-Sisi’s actions came following repeated criticism by international governments and organisations describing his presidential policy as “turning Egypt into a major prison for rights activists and opponents.”