Egypt to amend controversial NGO law as Sisi visits Washington

Just before Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's visit to Washington, the minister of social solidarity announced that a new law governing the operations of nongovernmental organizations will be drafted.
Some of the fourteen Egyptian activists who were accused of working for unlicensed non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and receiving illegal foreign funds, stand in a cage during the opening of their trial in Cairo February 26, 2012. An Egyptian court adjourned the trial of dozens of democracy activists including 16 Americans on Sunday at the opening session of a case that has threatened ties between Cairo and Washington and $1.3 billion in annual U.S. military aid. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany (EGYPT -
Some of the fourteen Egyptian activists who were accused of working for unlicensed non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and receiving illegal foreign funds, stand in a cage during the opening of their trial in Cairo, Egypt, Feb. 26, 2012. - REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
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Walt Curnow

Leading up to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s Tuesday meeting with US President Donald Trump, intense lobbying efforts were underway in Washington from civil society groups and some US officials for the American leader to raise human rights concerns with his counterpart. 

The planned constitutional amendments in Egypt that would allow Sisi to stay in office until 2034 and cement power in the country’s military establishment are alarming to civil society groups and members of US Congress. Another longstanding concern has been Egypt’s laws pertaining to non-governmental organizations.

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