7 NGOs funded to issue false reports on Egypt: HR Comm.

CAIRO – 9 March 2018: Chairman of the parliamentary committee for human rights Alaa Abed claimed Friday that seven NGOs and some human rights organizations receive funding from foreign intelligence agencies to publish false reports about the general situation of Egypt and to tarnish the country before international public opinion.

The chairman stated this during a conference titled “Issues related to foreign funding that aims to destroy the state’s institutions and Egypt’s role in fighting terrorism”.

Abed listed Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW) among human rights organizations that aim to bring Egypt into a civil war.

Moreover, he alleged that Andalus Institute for Tolerance and Anti-Violence Studies, Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression, Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS), Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights, Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), and Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights are among the organizations aiming to direct strikes against the Egyptian state by issuing fabricated reports regarding human rights in Egypt.

On Wednesday, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry strongly denounced on Wednesday U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad al-Hussein’s annual report that included "false allegations" of political rights violations in Egypt.

The ministry condemned the "fabricated incidents" stated in Hussein’s report, which was submitted to the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Wednesday, criticizing the "pervasive climate of intimidation" in Egypt ahead of the upcoming presidential election.

The Foreign Ministry expressed its astonishment at mentioning the 2018 election in the report, based on information described by Hussein himself as "alleged”, the statement read.

Egypt rejects any attempt to cast doubt on the credibility and integrity of the forthcoming presidential election without providing any evidence or substantiated information, the statement added.

In September 2017, the HRW published a report accusing the Egyptian authorities of torturing prisoners. Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid described the report as a deliberate distortion.

“Spreading rumors, provoking feelings and relying on unreferenced witnesses are all actions that shouldn’t be adopted by such an organization, which pretends to defend human rights," Abu Zeid said.

“Complaints of human rights violations are received and addressed, in accordance with the Egyptian constitution, where they go through independent and unbiased investigation. Media and civil society organizations also play a role in spotting such violations,” he added.