ACHRS Statement: Egypt’s Case No. 173
Egypt has recently dropped investigations of six individuals in Case 173, targeting human rights defenders. However, Case 173 continuously harasses human rights defenders. ACHRS welcomes the recent development but calls for a complete and immediate dismissal of Case 173.
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On the 30th of August, an Egyptian investigative judge authorized by the Cairo Court of Appeal dropped investigations, lifted travel bans and stopped asset freezes of at least six human rights defenders and NGO workers. The investigations were under the Egyptian case 173 of 2011: a decade-long prosecution and targeting of human rights defenders. However, despite the decision to drop investigations of the six individuals, investigations of prominent human rights defenders still continue under Case 173. While ACHRS welcomes the judge’s decision to drop the investigation of the individual human rights defenders and NGO workers, the center calls for the immediate and complete dismissal of Case No. 173 and the release of human rights activists imprisoned in the case.
Furthermore, while the United States administration has decided to withhold some of its security aid to Egypt because of human rights abuses related to Case 173, the majority of the planned security aid has still been passed to Egypt, with the US providing $170 million rather than $300 million. Even though ACHRS welcomes that some security aid has been withheld, the center still condemns the US administration for still providing the majority of the aid despite human rights abuses.
The Egyptian Case 173, also known as the Foreign Funding Case, was established in 2011 to investigate foreign funding received by the Egyptian civil society. In 2013, case 173 was used to imprison 43 Egyptian and foreign NGO workers as well as shutting down several international NGOs, including Freedom House and International Center for Journalists.
Despite the recent decision to drop the investigations into the six individuals, Case 173 investigations still target human rights defenders and civil society activists. At least 20 other human rights activists are still under measures such as travel bans and the freezing of assets due to Case 173. Case 173 has been used to systematically target and harass Egyptian human rights defenders and NGO workers and has placed over 30 of them on arbitrary travel ban lists and frozen assets of over a dozen organisations and individuals.
Case 173 is a violation of the right to think, the right to speak and the right to participate. It is used for the intimidation and harassment of civil society activists and as a tool to decrease and target the civic space in Egypt.
The Amman Center for Human Rights Studies welcomes the decision to drop the investigations of the six individuals, lift their travel bans and stop the freezing of their assets. However, we condemn the ongoing crackdown on human rights defenders in Egypt and calls for a complete and immediate dismissal of Case 173. Furthermore, we condemn the United States for providing security aid to Egypt despite human rights abuses related to Case 173.
Photo source: Aljazeera
