Supreme Constitutional Court declares NGOs Law clause unconstitutional

Supreme Constitutional Court declares unconstitutional a clause in the controversial NGOs Act: A clause of the NGOs Act granting the Social Solidarity minister jurisdiction to disband the boards of NGOs is unconstitutional, the Supreme Constitutional Court decreed yesterday, Al Masry Al Youm reports. According to the court, the constitution protects the freedom of NGOs to form their own boards and requires a legal order to disband the organization or its board of directors. The House of Representatives had signed off on the bill back in 2016. Among other things, it forbids NGOs from participating in political activities and requires organizations to receive government approval prior to receiving foreign funding. President Abdel Fattah El Sisi signed it into law in May 2017. The act has since come under fire several times, including from Republican senators and the US Congress’ human rights commission.