Guy Verhofstadt, ALDE Leader  has robustly condemned the continuing assault on civil society in Egypt, which has intensified since the office of Freedom House, along with 10 other organisations were raided and closed by Egyptian police on December 29th.  

"In a democracy, freedom of speech is crucial. The Egyptian government is creating the image that "a foreign hand" ie American and Europeans are influencing and manipulating Egyptian politics.  Partisan organisations such as Freedom House, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and the International Centre for Journalists are the cornerstones of all functioning democracies and are key to the successful political transition of Egypt.    In a cynical attempt to justify their actions the Egyptian government has engaged in a campaign of misinformation.  What Egypt is doing now is encouraging xenophobia by spreading false information and turning the country into a closed society."

He concluded "While the international attention is now focused on Syria, Egypt  remains a crucial test for the region. Egyptian authorities need to give citizens their rights and democratic freedoms; a failure to do so will lie with those in Cairo and not some expelled bona fide Western political foundations or NGOs."

Edward McMillan-Scott, Vice President of the European Parliament for Democracy and Human Rights, who has worked closely for more then ten years with reformist groups and human rights activists in Cairo said "the Military government is using exactely tactics as the Mubarak regime. As in the past, international pressure will be brought to bear to ensure that anybody from these blameless organisations is released and that they are allowed to continue their important work for the democratic future of Egypt, without arbitrary restrictions. "