Whose human rights?
When the government announced that it was about to create a national council for human rights some people imagined that the state, after two decades of struggle by rights groups in Egypt, had at long last realised that human rights were worthy of attention.
Optimists saw the government's latest move as an indication that the promises made by the minister of social affairs would come true and any lingering doubts about the civil society law would disappear. Better late than never, they thought.
The government, though, soon began measures to restrict the work of civil society. It objected to nominations for the boards of NGOs, including the Arab Woman League and the Islamic Medical Society. It rejected petitions by civil companies -- such as the Earth Centre and the New Woman Studies Society -- to register as civil organisations in accordance with the law. Curiously, most of the objections came from the Ministry of Interior, not the Ministry of Social Affairs which is supposed to be in charge of the process.
The government knows it is breaking the law, that NGOs will sue, and the courts will rule in their favour. The only explanation for the government's action is that it classifies Egyptians into two categories, those who are pro- government and those who aren't. The first group deserves the rule of law; the second, apparently, doesn't.
This week's Soapbox speaker is a member of the board of trustees of the New Woman Studies Institute.
Al-Ahram Weekly Online : 26 June - 2 July 2003 (Issue No. 644)
Located at: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/644/op7.htm