Front Line is concerned following reports that the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights (EOHR) received a letter from the Egyptian Ministry of Social Solidarity on 27 April 2009 threatening to dissolve the organisation for violating the Law of Association by receiving unauthorized foreign funding. EOHR is a leading non-governmental organisation in Egypt, founded in 1985 and registered at the Ministry of Social Affairs in 2003. It has its headquarters in Cairo and has 17 provincial branches located throughout Egypt. EOHR was granted special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council in 2006.

On 27 April 2009, EOHR received a letter signed by the Minister of Social Solidarity, stating that EOHR had received unauthorized foreign funding and warning EOHR of the possibility of applying Article 42 of the NGOs Law 84/2002, which could lead to the closing down of the organisation. EOHR noted that the threat came after the publishing of EOHR’s 2008 annual report and two other reports on torture and freedom of expression documenting various violations by the Egyptian authorities. In a similar case in 2007-2008, the offices of the Association for Human Rights and Legal Aid (AHRLA) were closed for more than a year after receiving a similar letter.

According to EOHR, on 31 July 2008, the organisation presented a notification to the relevant authority informing them that EOHR, in cooperation with the Center of Media Freedom in the Middle East and North Africa (CMF-MENA) in Morocco, was planning to hold a regional two-day conference on the right to access information, which took place on 27 and 28 January 2009. The notification informed the authorities of the receipt of funds from the CMF-MENA to cover the expenses of participants coming from other countries. EOHR did not receive a reply to this letter, and according to the law, if a response is not issued by the authorities within a specific time (60 days) then this implies an initial approval of the receipt of funds.

Front Line believes that the Egyptian Law of Association is highly restrictive, and that the threat against EOHR is an attempt to hinder its legitimate work in defence of human rights.