Egypt’s president ratifies law restricting NGOs

Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi ratifies a law which heavily restricts the registration and work of non-governmental organizations.

The law, which el-Sissi signs on Monday, gives security agencies extensive power over the financing and activities of NGOs.

International rights groups describe the law as draconian and a “death warrant” to rights groups, saying it would effectively lead to the shutdown of many groups. The law comes as part of el-Sissi’s wider crackdown on dissent since he rose to power in 2013, when he led a military overthrow of his Islamist predecessor Mohamed Morsi.

Supporters believe the law is necessary to regulate the groups accused of feeding chaos starting from the 2011 uprising that led to the ouster of longtime President Hosni Mubarak.

— AP