Date Type 23/02/2016 JAL 23/02/2016 AL Case No Country Mandate(s) Summary of the allegation transmitted Reply EGY 3/2016 Egypt Freedom of expression; Freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; Human rights defenders; Torture; Alleged attempt to arbitrarily close a human rights organization in violation of the rights to freedom of association and freedom of expression. According to the information received, on 17 February 2016, an “administrative closing order” was issued to the Nadeem Center for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence and Torture, which provides support for victims of torture and their families. The closure of the organization has been suspended until after a meeting between representatives of the organization and the Ministry of Health, scheduled for 22 February 2016, after which the Nadeem Center may be closed immediately. Serious concern is expressed at the reason for the closure of the organization, namely its human rights work and the exercise of the rights to freedom of association and freedom of expression. Further concern is expressed at the use of NGO Law (84/2002) to restrict civil society space. NGO Law (84/2002) was the subject of five previous communications sent on 17 November 2011, see A/HRC/19/44, case no. EGY 12/2011; 12 February 2013, see A/HRC/23/51, case no. EGY 4/2013; 20 March 2013, see A/HRC/24/21, case no. EGY 5/2013; 29 August 2014, see A/HRC/28/85, case no. EGY 11/2014; and 12 June 2015, see A/HRC/31/79, case no. EGY 10/2015. OTH 14/2016 Other Freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; Letter expressing concerns about Financial Action Task Force’s Recommendation 23/03/2016 8 on combating the abuse of non-profit organizations. Recommendation 8 characterizes non-profit organizations as “particularly vulnerable”, a notion that has sometimes been used by States to justify restrictive measures or overregulation applied to the civil society sector. The Special Rapporteur urges the Financial Action Task Force, an intergovernmental body tasked with developing policies to combat money laundering, to consider launching a consultative revision process of Recommendation 8 so that it better reflects approaches to anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism that comply with international human rights standards. A/HRC/32/53 81