As of May 20, 2008, the Egyptian authorities had still not implemented decision n°38381/61 issued by the
Administrative Court of Cairo on March 30, 2008, stating that the decision of the Ministry of Social Solidarity to
close down CTUWS [1] was "lacking justification" and that it was wasting "an essential constitutional right which is
the right of association".
The Observatory welcomes the March-30 decision, and considers it as an important step towards the
reinforcement of freedom of association in Egypt.
The Observatory calls on the Egyptian authorities to immediately and unconditionally implement the decision of
the court so as to enable CTUWS, which has been subjected to intensive harassment and mass-closure of
premises over the past year [2], to fully carry out its human rights activities.
Furthermore, the Observatory remains concerned that the appeal procedure lodged by the Association of Human
Rights and Legal Aid (AHRLA), a non-governmental organisation providing legal assistance to victims of torture,
against an administrative decision of closure, has still not been heard [3].
The Observatory urges the Egyptian authorities to put an end to all forms of harassment against AHRLA and
ensure in all circumstances that its members as well as of CTUWS are able to carry out their work freely without
any hindrances, as well as to put an end to all forms of harassment against human rights defenders in Egypt.
Moreover, the Observatory calls upon the Egyptian authorities to fully respect international standards with
regards to freedom of association, in particular the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders
adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 9, 1998, which Article 5(b) states that "for the purpose of
promoting and protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms, everyone has the right, individually and in
association with others, at the national and international levels [...] to form, join and participate in non-governmental organizations, associations or groups" and Article 13 provides that "everyone has the right,
individually and in association with others, to solicit, receive and utilise resources for the express purpose of
promoting and protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms through peaceful means, in accordance with
article 3 of the present Declaration".
The Observatory further recalls that Article 1 of the same Declaration reads that "everyone has the right,
individually and in association with others, to promote and to strive for the protection and realisation of human
rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels" and that Article 12(1) states that
"everyone has the rights, individually and in association with others, to participate in peaceful activities against
violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms".
More generally, the Observatory urges the Egyptian authorities to promote and ensure freedom of association in
Egypt and ensure in all circumstances the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and with international and regional human rights instruments ratified
by Egypt.