[JURIST] Maina Kiai [official website], UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, warned [press release] Tuesday that the Egyptian government “seems to be systematically attacking civil society in an effort to silence its voice.” Specifically targeting non-governmental organizations and human rights defenders, the Egyptian government has continued to crackdown on rights that has persisted since 2011. Kiai called on the government of Egypt “to halt the ongoing harassment of human rights defenders and organizations and urge the government to ensure the compliance of the NGO draft law with international law standards, following a transparent consultation process with the civil society organizations.”

Egypt has been internationally scrutinized in recent months over allegations of human rights infringements and free speech violations. Last month an Egyptian court froze assets [JURIST report] of five notable human rights activists and three NGOs for allegedly accepting foreign funds without governmental authorization. In July Amnesty International criticized [JURIST report] the Egyptian government for abducting and torturing hundreds of citizens during a crackdown on political activists and protesters. And in May the UN urged [JURIST report] the Egyptian government end its oppressive response towards human rights advocates in the country. The experts reported that Egypt has cracked down on protesters, journalists, lawyers and human rights defenders in recent years by conducting mass arrests, using aggressive force and invading people’s privacy.