Tactics and tools for the protection
of Human Rights Defenders

30 December 2011

The undersigned organizations condemn the broad, ongoing attack on human rights organizations and civil society, which today included raids on several rights organizations that actively work to promote democracy. Police and military forces, accompanied by members of the Public Prosecution, stormed the offices of the Arab Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and Legal Profession, the Budgetary and Human Rights Observatory, and other international human rights and pro-democracy institutions.

This serious step marks the beginning of a security campaign that is expected to affect dozens of advocacy groups, and is part of a broader campaign launched by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) to smear and stigmatize all rights activists and numerous forces involved in the January 25 revolution.

The undersigned organizations believe that the aim of this unprecedented campaign is to cover up the SCAF’s failures in the transitional period and harass political groups, activists, and rights advocates who have dared criticize its policies, expose the shameful abuses that have taken place under its administration, and in some cases successfully pursued legal action against military violations before the courts.

We regret to say that with each passing day, the SCAF proves not only its hostility to the fundamental goals of the Egyptian revolution and the sacrifices of its martyrs, but demonstrates its deeply held desire to settle accounts with political and advocacy groups that played a prominent role in ushering in the revolution or during the uprising itself, or that have created and promoted programs with the objective of building a new political system on the ruins of the Mubarak regime and its authoritarian methods, which the SCAF is now reproducing in an even uglier, more dangerous form.

The undersigned organizations stress that the growing repression will not deter them from continuing in their mission to defend victims of human rights abuses and expose violations against them. We firmly believe that the support of the forces of the revolution that stand with us against repression and affronts to human dignity, as well as international solidarity springing from a common belief in the nobility and universality of human rights principles, will only increase our commitment to our mission, our resolve not to betray the voices of the victims, and our determination to see the hand of justice hold accountable those responsible for human rights crimes, whether during or after the Mubarak era.

List of Signatories

1. Andalus Institute for Tolerance and Anti-Violence Studies
2. ArabCenterfor theIndependenceof the Judiciary and Legal Profession
3. Arab Foundation for Civil Society and Human Rights Support
4. Arabic Network for Human Rights Information
5. Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression
6. Association for Human Development
7. Association for Human Rights Legal Aid
8. Budgetary and Human Rights Observatory
9. Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
10. CairoLiberal Forum
11. Center for Communication Support (ACT)
12. Center for Egyptian Women’s Legal Assistance
13. Center for Trade Union and Workers Services
14. Egyptian Association for Community Participation Enhancement
15. Egyptian Association for Disseminating and Developing Legal Awareness
16. EgyptianCenterfor Economic and Social Rights
17. EgyptianCenterfor the Right to Housing
18. EgyptianCenterfor Women’s Rights
19. Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights
20. Egyptian Organization for Human Rights
21. El-NadimCenterfor Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence
22. Free Egyptian Movement
23. HishamMubarakLawCenter
24. Mohsen Bahnasi, lawyer and rights activist
25. Nazra for Feminist Studies
26. New Woman Foundation
27. No Military Trials for Civilians Group
28. One Nation for Development and Liberties
29. One World Foundation
30. Partisans ofJusticeCenter
31. Egyptian democratic academy
    

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