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Press Release, 4/6/2002
The State Attempts to Narrow the Alleged Democratic
Margin
Rapid Adoption for the Law of Associations
The state has decided to continue its attempts aiming
at narrowing the democratic margin which is
lip-serviced and propagated in media as the great
accomplishment of the century!!!
The state tendency to impose more restrictions on
liberties is still dominating the state-taken
initiatives that come in contradiction with its
allegations for political reform.
Ironically, our concern is by no means addresses
establishing political parties or ensuring the
creation of new political organizations in order to
promote the true democratic practice. But this is
concerned with the second strike targeted at serious
efforts to create a strong civil society .
It is well known that the first strike represented in
the passage of the law No. 153 of 1999 which has been
declared unconstitutional. Nowadays, the state has
intended not to avoid the problems and restrictions ..
The new law imposes more limitations on the civil
work. This is a denial of all remarks and criticism of
the activists and the concerned in the civil work.
In fact, the state has shut ears to all appeals by
civil society and human rights organizations that
demanded the state to withdraw the draft law of
associations .
The People Assembly has passed yesterday the new bill
of associations, though the concerned have urged that
the law contains several constitutional and legal
defects.
Civil associations oppose this law in defense of
democracy.
Association for human Rights Legal Aid joins civil
society associations and activists in order to express
her deep concern over the great threat to the civil
society. We reiterate the necessity of developing a
committee with the partnership of civil society and
human rights organizations for revising and amending
the legislation hindering the democratic development
in general and civil work in particular. So, we appeal
Mr. President not to ratify the said law. This law may
be contested constitutionally as the previous law No.
153 of 1999. We confirm that response to this demand
will keep the credibility of Egypt and being in
conformity with its commitments and obligations to the
international instruments it signed which has become
part and parcel of the national legislation.
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