CAIRO Egyptian human rights activists announced Saturday they were gearing up for a showdown with the government over a draft law they denounced as a sign of increasing state repression. The activists told a press conference here they would risk arrest and imprisonment if parliament, possibly as early as Tuesday, enacts a law restricting Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOS). Gasser Abdel-Razek, director of the Center for Human Rights Legal Aid (CHRLA), said 105 Egyptian civil society groups as well as international human rights associations like Amnesty International were behind their campaign.

We declare that if the bill is passed in the near future, or later, we will not abide by its provisions in an act of civil defiance, Abdel-Razek said, reading a statement from Egyptian human rights groups. We shall continue working inside the country whether from these offices, from our homes, or even from behind bars, he added. Abdel-Razek, who was speaking with two other human rights activists by his side at the CHRLA offices, said the draft law comes amid a government crackdown on unions, political parties and journalists.

The proposed law prohibits NGOS from carrying out political activities and prevents them from receiving funds from abroad without authorization from the Ministry of Social Affairs. (AFP)