The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), one of Egypt’s last independent human rights organizations, closed Monday. ANHRI made the announcement in a statement posted to its website, citing government pressure as the reason for its closure. As part of its mission, ANHRI provided legal defenses to victims of human rights violations. In a statement, ANHRI described political instability and expansion of arrests against human rights defenders, journalists and political activists as reasons for the organization’s closure. ANHRI’s executive director, Gamal Eid, said: “We are suspending our institutional work and activities today, but we continue to be lawyers who have a conscience, and as individual, independent human rights defenders will work side by side with the few remaining independent human rights organizations, independent human rights defenders and the entire movement.”ANHRI’s closure comes amid an increasingly severe crackdown on journalists and human rights organizations.

Source: Egypt Independent January 11, 2022 19:22 UTC