Egypt: Reverse sweeping controls over independent civil society organizations
25 November 2025
Egyptian authorities should amend the associations law to lift tight restrictions over independent civil society organizations, hindering the right to freedom of association and other rights and putting the future of the country’s civic space at risk, Amnesty International said in a new briefing published today.
The briefing, ‘Whatever security says must be done’: Independent NGOs’ freedom of association restricted in Egypt, details how the authorities are imposing undue restrictions and interfering in the work of independent NGOs through the repressive law No. 149 of 2019 (the associations law) and other tactics to bring them under near total state control.
Whilst the closure of Case 173 last year after 13 years of unfounded criminal investigations of the funding and activities of NGOs appeared to be a potential turning point, the associations law grants the authorities a stranglehold over independent NGOs undermining their right to freedom of association.
“Although the lifting of decade-long travel bans and asset freezes against NGO workers was a positive step, the authorities have not only ignored calls to amend the restrictive 2019 associations law but have used it to impose burdensome regulatory requirements on NGOs, while allowing security agencies to subject them to intrusive interference, and constant surveillance. These intimidation practices suffocate vital NGO work and contribute to a chilling climate of intimidation that erodes people’s capacity to organize and exercise their human rights,” said Sara Hashash, Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International.
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/11/egypt-reverse-sweeping-controls-over-independent-civil-society-organizations/