Is Egypt's judiciary going soft on NGOs? - Al-Monitor: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Subscribe for less than $9/month to access this story and all Al-Monitor reporting.

Or continue reading this article for free - Access 1 free article per month when you sign up.

By entering your email, you agree to receive ALM's daily newsletter and occasional marketing messages.

Why Al-Monitor?

Al-Monitor is an award-winning media outlet covering the Middle East, valued for its independence, diversity and analysis. It is read widely by US, international and Middle East decision makers at the highest levels, as well as by media, thought and business leaders and academia.

Read by

Live news & notifications

Follow over 100 expert journalists based across the region and get notified in real time of breaking stories and exclusives. *Expanded coverage on Energy & Defense sectors.

Premier analysis of the Middle East

Access the sharpest and most diverse regional minds giving you all the angles on regional trends.

Live events & video

Priority access to roundtables, summits and other events alongside ALM's global community of regional influencers.

Specialized Newsletters

Get timely reporting on key countries and sectors with up to 10 daily and weekly newsletters straight to your inbox.

Big, exclusive interviews

Follow conversations with the region's biggest names in politics and business.

ALM archives since 2012

Access a repository of over a decade's worth of regional coverage, insights and trends.

Subscribe for unlimited access

By becoming an Al-Monitor subscriber, you drive our team’s rigorous and independent journalism spanning the Middle East.

Continue

Protesters are pictured during a global solidarity demonstration for political change in Egypt in Trafalgar square, London, United Kingdom, Feb. 12, 2011. The event was organized by Amnesty international and the ITUC, Human Rights Watch, the NUS, the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network and the Arab Program for Human Rights Activists.

Egypt drops decade-old charges against NGOs

A correspondent in Egypt

A correspondent in Egypt

Friends of Egyptian suspects react after hearing the judge's verdict at a court room during a case against foreign non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Cairo June 4, 2013. An Egyptian court sentenced at least 15 U.S. citizens in absentia to five years in jail on Tuesday and one American who stood trial was jailed for two years in a case against private foreign groups seeking to promote democracy. Judge Makram Awad also ordered the closure of the NGOs, including the U.S.-based International Republican I

NGO Workers Sentenced By Egyptian Court

Zenobia Azeem

Riot police walk in front of graffiti representing anti-military power and Egypt's unrest, which reads "Glory to the unknown", along Mohamed Mahmoud Street during the third anniversary of violent and deadly clashes near Tahrir Square in Cairo November 19, 2014. Egyptian police arrested 25 individuals after four hundred protestors staged a march through downtown Cairo on the anniversary of deadly clashes with security forces three years ago, the interior ministry said on Wednesday. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dals

Egypt’s glaring rights violations once again in global spotlight

Khalid Hassan

One of the 14 Egyptian activists accused of working for unlicensed non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and receiving illegal foreign funds, speaks with American Robert Becker (L) of the National Democratic Institute (NDI) in a cage during their trial in Cairo March 8, 2012. An Egyptian judge said on Thursday he was delaying until April 10 the trial of civil society activists including 16 Americans accused of receiving illegal foreign funds and pursuing their pro-democracy activities without a licence. REU

Egypt's NGOs face 'orchestrated, escalating' assault from authorities

Shahira Amin