Human Wrongs Watch
Geneva – The UN human rights office voiced alarm at reports that the Egyptian military has carried out raids against the offices of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in what would be the first documented incidents of their kind in the country’s recent history.
According to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Egyptian soldiers attacked the offices of several NGOs on Dec. 29, 2011 in Cairo. “The soldiers forced their way in, blocking entrances and exits, and seized computers and files. In some cases, employees had their mobile telephones confiscated.”
Frej Fenniche, chief of OHCHR’s Middle Eastern and North Africa office, said it was the first time his office had heard of a similar raid being carried out against NGOs, noting that “such events had not occurred even under the regime of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.”