Egyptian government defies judiciary, keeps labor group shuttered

Human Rights Watch last week called on the Egyptian government to follow court orders and remove restrictions against the Center for Trade and Union Workers Services (CTUWS).

According to HRW, “In April 2007, the government forcibly shut down all three branches of [CTUWS], claiming that the organization was behind a wave of labor unrest and that it was not a recognized nongovernmental organization (NGO).” But in March 2008, the Giza Administrative Court ruled against the government, saying the closure was “without cause.”

Despite the court’s decision, which was “effective ‘immediately,’” the government has failed to comply with the order to reopen the organization and approve its NGO status.

“For more than two months, the Egyptian government has brazenly defied the country’s judiciary, and continues to suppress the peaceful activities of the workers’ group,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “The government’s claim that Egypt upholds the rule of law has lost whatever credibility it might have had.”

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