Stand in Solidarity with Human Rights Defenders Against the Regime’s Assault

Statement by the Revolutionary Socialists

As part of its ongoing judicial offensive against human rights defenders, the Cairo Criminal Court is set to review today, Thursday, the decision of the judicial investigative body in Case No. 173 of 2011—known as the “Foreign Funding of Civil Society Organizations” case—which includes banning Gamal Eid, director of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, and Hossam Bahgat, founder of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, from travel and freezing their assets. Just a few days ago, three members of the Nazra for Feminist Studies team, an organization led by Mozn Hassan, were also subjected to investigation in the same case.

The regime is accusing these steadfast fighters against oppression and injustice of the very charge that should rightfully be directed at itself—foreign funding. This regime has received billions of dollars from Gulf states without oversight, using these funds to cement its rule, sanction repression and killings with impunity, and orchestrate the military coup of July 2013—even preparing for it beforehand. Not to mention the annual U.S. military aid, amounting to $1.3 billion, which makes Egypt the second-largest recipient after the Zionist entity, ensuring the regime’s adherence to the disgraceful Camp David Accords. If the regime accuses these dedicated human rights defenders of lacking financial oversight, then where is the oversight of the military’s budget, which remains entirely concealed? And where is the scrutiny over the reckless squandering of billions on sham economic projects designed purely for media propaganda and rallying public opinion behind the leader of the counter-revolution?

The case against civil society organizations is not new; this cowardly regime has been periodically reviving it for years. Shortly after the outbreak of the January Revolution, it unleashed its media machine to incite against these organizations, keeping threats alive until it began taking concrete action against them. This started with the decision to shut down the El-Nadeem Center for Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence and Torture in February, followed by the judicial and security crackdown on Nazra, the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, and the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights.
The regime’s moment to launch its assault on civil society organizations has arrived. Having already secured its grip on the media, silenced journalists, imprisoned dissenting voices, and co-opted many political parties and intellectuals, it is now putting its plan to attack civil society into action—directly targeting those running human rights organizations. These organizations play a crucial role in exposing the regime’s human rights violations through documentation and reporting, making them prime targets for suppression.

Through this frenzied assault on civil society organizations, the regime is not only attempting to shackle those who expose its crimes and silence their voices but also seeks to ensure that the oppressed and wronged—its countless victims—are left without advocates or defenders. This is part of its relentless effort to suffocate the public sphere, enabling it to commit atrocities with impunity, free from scrutiny or exposure. These organizations have long stood as a fundamental line of defense for victims of killings, abuse, and torture, and the regime now seeks to eradicate that line.

It is not only necessary but a moral duty for all those who struggle against oppression and tyranny and fight for freedom, democracy, and social justice to stand in solidarity by all possible means with human rights organizations and their persecuted members. This includes Gamal Eid, Hossam Bahgat, Mozn Hassan, the members of Nazra under investigation, and the team at the El-Nadeem Center.
Stand in solidarity.