Ten Egyptian human rights organizations met yesterday with Dr. Mohamed El Baradei, the chair of the National Association for Change, in his home (the temporary headquarters of the association).
During the two and a half hour meeting, participants exchanged views on the situation of human rights in Egypt and its main priorities. It was agreed that another meeting, which will be hosted by one of the Egyptian human rights organization, was needed in order to continue the discussion.
The meeting was attended by officials from the Center for Trade Union and Workers’ Services, the Egyptian Association for Community Participation Enhancement, the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, the New Woman Foundation, Egyptians Against Religious Discrimination, the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights, the Andalus Center for Tolerance and Anti-Violence Studies, the Hisham Mubarak Law Center, the Arab Foundation for the Support of Civil Society and Human Rights, and the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies.
Bahey eldin Hassan, the director of the CIHRS, stated that this meeting was highly desired by human rights organizations in order to enable them to familiarize with the various political figures’ views over current political reforms and human rights issues.
At the same time, the Forum of Independent Human Rights Organizations is due to meet with the Minister of Legal Affairs, Dr. Mufid Shehab, on April 15 in order to follow up with latest developments concerning the government’s stance over the UN Universal Periodic Review of Egypt. This review began in February 2010 and will continue to June 2010. Their main topic of concern to discuss with the minister will be related to the NGO’s law. The Forum will also meet with representatives from certain member nations of the Human Rights Council in Egypt on April 13 to discuss the same issues.
Today Bahey eldin Hassan met with Margaret Scobey, the US ambassador to Egypt, in order to discuss claims made by officials at the Ministry of Social Solidarity stating that the US embassy has approved certain repressive articles that are present in the proposed NGO’s law.
The CIHRS also invited Gamal Mubarak, the secretary of the NDP’s policies secretariat, to a seminar at the institute, in order to discuss the secretariat’s view of the human rights problem in Egypt.
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