Written declaration No. 511 | Doc. 12857 | 27 January 2012

Condemning Egyptian raids against NGOs

Signatories: Mr Emanuelis ZINGERIS, Lithuania, EPP/CD ; Ms Lolita ČIGĀNE, Latvia, EPP/CD ; Mr Telmo CORREIA, Portugal, EDG ; Mr Arcadio DÍAZ TEJERA, Spain, SOC ; Mr Tamás GAUDI NAGY, Hungary, NR ; Mr Andreas GROSS, Switzerland, SOC ; Mr Serhiy HOLOVATY, Ukraine, ALDE ; Mr Giorgi KANDELAKI, Georgia, EPP/CD ; Ms Lone LOKLINDT, Denmark, ALDE ; Ms Meritxell MATEU PI, Andorra, ALDE ; Ms Dangutė MIKUTIENĖ, Lithuania, ALDE ; Mr Nicos NICOLAIDES, Cyprus, SOC ; Ms Elsa PAPADIMITRIOU, Greece, EPP/CD ; Ms Zaruhi POSTANJYAN, Armenia, EPP/CD ; Ms Mette REISSMANN, Denmark, SOC ; Mr Armen RUSTAMYAN, Armenia, SOC ; Mr Rudy SALLES, France, EPP/CD ; Ms Marina SCHUSTER, Germany, ALDE ; Ms Arūnė STIRBLYTĖ, Lithuania, ALDE ; Mr Christoph STRÄSSER, Germany, SOC

This written declaration commits only those who have signed it.

These days we are marking the anniversary of the Arab spring. All the international democratic institutions welcome the establishment of the democratic parties in the emerging democracies.

However, at the end of December 2011 several foreign and local NGO’s were raided in Cairo. We are dismayed and disappointed by these actions, since the existence of NGO’s is one of the main elements of the democratic society.

We call on the Egyptian government to stop court cases against NGO’s, reopen their offices and return all materials that were confiscated. We do believe that such kind of actions will not become usual in the emerging democracies and they will continue seeking the democratic values.