In response to reports that the Egyptian government has decided to delay by six months the deadline requiring civil society organisations (CSOs) to register under the repressive 2019 NGO law by 11 January 2022 or face closure, the undersigned organisations reiterate their deep concern about the Law and its implementing regulations threatening the very survival of independent CSOs. The undersigned organisations call on the Egyptian parliament to repeal the NGO law and work with independent human rights organisations to adopt a new legislative framework upholding the right to freedom of association in accordance with international law and standards. Immediate international action is needed to protect Egypt’s independent human rights movement, said the undersigned organisations after the authorities threatened to dissolve Egyptian NGOs unregistered under the repressive law.
