Egypt freezes bank account of top anti-torture centre

CAIRO – One of Egypt’s most prominent rights’ groups says the country’s Central Bank has ordered a freeze on its bank account.

The renowned El-Nadeem Center for Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence, which documented police abuses for the past few decades, said Thursday that the bank has notified them that it has to register as an NGO instead of a registered clinic.

Amnesty International issued a statement late Thursday decrying the move and called on authorities to retract the order.

“The Egyptian authorities’ decision to arbitrarily freeze its bank account is a cruel blow to human rights in the country,” said Philip Luther at the London-based rights group.