For the past year and a half, Egypt’s NGOs have been targeted through a systematic chain of repressive violations, culminating in an orchestrated smear campaign led by the Supreme Council …
New constitution paves the way for Islamic ‘church’ versus state
When the Muslim Brotherhood was counted among the opposition, before the 25 January revolution, the group took part in several discussions with civil political forces and human rights organizations, both …
Not the Time to Forget Sudan
While the world is preoccupied with the Arab Spring turned Autumn turned Winter, Sudan continues to be a cesspool of human rights violations. For example, the trial of Nubian activist Jalila …
Attempts to confuse our collective memory
For the past 18 months, Egyptians have been struggling to follow up with the constantly shifting developments in the political sphere. Developments seem to not only play with the existing …
The Political Pathology of the Egyptian State
Egyptians can only hope that the events of the past week represent a temporary setback in the democratic transition, rather than an irreversible regression to authoritarianism – marking the end …
Egypt Voted for Chaos
There is only one conversation in Cairo this week — Who will you vote for in the run-off election? The revolutionaries themselves can’t agree on whether Islamic domination or a …
Beyond NGOs:The battle for Egypt – Bahey el-din Hassan
Up until two days ago, Egyptian-American relations were facing their biggest crisis since June 1967, threatening a political, diplomatic, military, and security alliance that has endured for three decades. …
Raiding NGOs: The new way forward
Egyptians bid farewell to 2011 with news of raids and closure of human rights organizations last week. Although the news is nothing short of shocking, “shocking” has been the characteristic …
The Arab Spring at the Human Rights Council: Success and selectivity
Laila Matar 2011 was the year of unexpected and unprecedented change for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Events in the MENA region also tested the relevance and efficiency …
Why Tunisia succeeds while Egypt fails
Bahey el-din Hassan I traveled to Tunisia over a week ago to attend the country‘s first free elections. As I left Cairo, I had given in to a sense …