Arrest of Muslim Brotherhood members in Egypt violates right to free association Commentary
Arrest of Muslim Brotherhood members in Egypt violates right to free association
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Joe Stork [Program Director, Middle East & North Africa, Human Rights Watch]: "New arrests of Muslim Brotherhood members have brought the total number arrested in the first two months of 2008 to more than 600. Egyptian officials say the grounds for arrest consist of membership in an illegal organization. The authorities indeed have banned the Muslim Brotherhood, but this is a decree that violates Egypt's obligation to protect the right to freedom of association.

It is worth noting that officials enforce the ban irregularly, especially when Brotherhood members or sympathizers attempt to register as candidates in local or national elections. Most of those rounded up since the beginning of this year appear to be leaders of the organization and members or sympathizers who planned to run as candidates in municipal elections scheduled for early April.

Government officials often claim informally that the Muslim Brotherhood aims to overthrow the existing political order by violent means, but officials have not charged any of those arrested with committing or advocating violence. The organization has long asserted that it is committed to democratic principles. Many Egyptians debate the extent of this commitment, but the government's on-again off-again campaigns of repression violate the rights of Muslim Brotherhood adherents to freedom of association and expression and the right to take part in the conduct of public affairs."

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