The Carter Center, a human rights group founded by the 39th US President, Jimmy Carter, has closed its office in Egypt. The reason for this action is the continuing restrictions made upon democratic rights in the country. The Carter Center said that this year it would not send a mission for observing the manner in which the parliamentary elections will take place in Egypt. The reason stated by the center is “the crackdown on dissidents, opposition groups, and critical journalists, together with heightened restrictions on core freedoms”. The Carter Center first opened its office in 2011, after the revolts in Cairo began taking place. The center wanted to support the country’s transition towards democracy, after the fall of President Hosni Mubarak. The Carter Center monitored six elections while working in Egypt. The last one was the presidential poll from May 2014. It was won by Abdul Fattah al-SISI, a former military chief.
Former US President Jimmy Carter commented on the subject of The Carter Center closing its offices in Egypt: “The current environment in Egypt is not conducive to genuine democratic elections and civic participation”. In July 2013, the field marshal helped the overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi. Also, it facilitated the suppression of the Muslim Brotherhood, which had killed around 1,400 people. More than 16,000 people were detained and hundreds of others were sentenced to death, including key persons from the Muslim Brotherhood. Secular activists have been prosecuted, in the meantime, for holding protests against a law which restricts public gatherings, demonstrations or any king of group meeting of more than 10 individuals. So far, at least 14 journalists have been thrown in jails in Egypt. Three people from al-Jazeera were also jailed and were given long prison terms in June, after being convicted of terrorism.
The Carter Center argued that its decision to close its offices in Cairo reflected its conclusion that the political environment in Egypt in “deeply polarized and that political space has narrowed for Egyptian political parties, civil societies and the media”. The Carter Center released a statement saying: “As a result, the upcoming elections are unlikely to advance a genuine democratic transition in Egypt. Both Egyptian civil society and international organizations face an increasingly restrictive environment that hinders their ability to conduct credible election observation”. The center believes that authorities should make sure that the core democratic rights of its citizens are properly protected.