Egyptian Court Orders Freeze on Assets of 5 Prominent Activists and 3 NGOs

Unsettling news emerges from an Egyptian court approving a freeze on the assets of five prominent human rights defenders and three NGOs. The latest turn of events in the five-year-old case continues to penalize human right defenders and NGOs accusing them of taking foreign funds to destabilise the nation.

According to Reuters, Egyptian rights activists are claiming that the recent decision solidifies this period as the worst assault in their history, and is further evidence that freedoms gained in the 2011 uprising are long gone.

The freezing of assets was pending approval from the courts, which was granted on Saturday, but at the same time the court ordered a lift on the freeze of assets from activists’ families. It’s believed that decision could lead to criminal proceedings and life sentences against defendants including; Hossam Bahgat, founder of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), Gamal Eid, founder of the Arab Network for Human Rights Information and Bahey El-Din Hassan, director of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS).

Photo retrieved from DemocracyNow!