Egypt Denies Licenses for 8 U.S.-Based Nonprofits

Egypt’s government rejected registration applications from eight American civil-society groups, asserting that their activities violate Egyptian sovereignty, Reuters and The New York Times write.

The move by the country’s Insurance and Social Affairs Ministry, reported by state media on Monday, comes after the easing of a crisis in Egypt-U.S. relations stemming from the actions of military rulers in Cairo who launched a criminal prosecution of U.S.-backed human-rights and pro-democracy groups working in the country.

The organizations whose applications for licenses were rejected include the Carter Center for Human Rights, established by former President Jimmy Carter, who is well regarded in Egypt for brokering the 1979 peace deal with Israel, and the Christian charity Coptic Orphans, which works with Egyptian churches to offer medical and social services.

Also on Monday, the international law-enforcement agency Interpol refused a request by Cairo to issue global arrest warrants for 15 employees of U.S.-based nongovernmental organizations active in Egypt. Interpol said the warrants would violate its rules barring it from intervening in “political, military, religious, or racial” matters.