18 NGOs blacklisted over committing violations

CAIRO – 11 March 2019: The Arab Movement for the Protection of Human Rights Organizations spotted a number of violations in the work of some international human rights entities.

In a Monday statement, the Arab Movement, the first Arab organization specialized in monitoring the performance of human rights organizations, said that it has monitored the work of some international human rights organizations, affirming that there are some serious violations that have affected these organizations' work.

It stressed that all NGOs should be non-profit and non- politicized organizations.

The statement added that the UN Charter also affirms that the principle of the independence of the work of civil society organizations is one of the main axes fulfilling the role of these organizations in terms of their capacity and function to promote democratic space, freedoms and respect for human rights and influence legislation and laws to support the interests of the most marginalized and poor social groups of the community.

“It is no secret that the human rights movement was affected by the political conflict between Qatar and the Arab quartet, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain,” the Arab Movement stated.

The statement added that, unfortunately, that conflict reached the use of human rights tools in international forums and the exchange of false information about the human rights situation in the Arab region.

The movement, which is composed of several Arab organizations, has applied the criterion of independence and professionalism in their monitoring, so that its ruling is built on universal rights and analysis of the international human rights institutions' reports and activities.

According to the statement, the following announced organizations recorded violations of the standards of independence, professionalism and integrity and did not meet the criteria for being granted a consultative status by insisting on providing a cover for the rights of extremist movements such as the Muslim Brotherhood and the Houthi militia, issuing reports that lack a methodology for research on the human rights situation in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE.

The organizations also played a political role in criticizing the human rights situation in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates for the favor of Qatar, which is accused of financing terrorism and interfering in the sovereignty of the Arab countries that harbor terrorists on their lands.

Therefore, the Arab movement found it imperative to warn the Arab societies of those organizations by issuing a black list of their names so that their activities will be noticed in the international human rights forums and by the Arab and international public opinion. This statement will be followed by data on the organizations that have engaged in political work in the 40th session of the International Council for Human Rights to protect the integrity and credibility of the work of human rights organizations in the world.

The Arab Movement for the Protection of Human Rights Organizations also called on the Swiss authorities to review the activities of the organizations in Switzerland and their sources of funding and monitor their expenditures.

The blacklist includes:

1. Al-Karama Foundation (funded by the State of Qatar and founded by Abdel Rahman al-Naimi, listed on the Global Terrorist Lists and operating in Geneva)
2. Cometti Four Giestes (a Swiss organization run by brothers Ahmad Farah)
3. The International Center for Transitional Justice, based in New York
4. The Arab Organization for Human Rights in London
5. Liberty in London
6. Organization of Islamic Human Rights
7. International Foundation for the Defense of Human Rights Defenders
8. The Global Coalition for Rights and Freedoms and its branches in Geneva, Paris, Washington and London
9. Egyptians Abroad Organization for Democracy
10. Arab Organization for Criminal Reform
11. Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
12. Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms
13. Adalah Center for Rights and Freedoms
14. My Center for Rights and Freedoms
15. The Freedom Initiative
16. Arab Foundation for Civil and Political Rights - Nidal
17. Al-Shehab for Human Rights
18. Human Rights Monitor