Cairo’s Administrative Court at the State Council is expected on 19 April to issue a verdict regarding the closure of El-Nadeem Centre for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence, the centre reported.
El-Nadeem’s director Aida Seif El-Dawla had filed a lawsuit demanding to halt the decision, on grounds that all its documents and licences were in accordance with the law.
This comes as the centre published on Saturday a report prepared by advisory judges at the State Council supporting El-Nadeem’s legal claim that the closure decision was unfounded.
The issue has been ongoing since February 2016 as multiple attempts to close down the centre took place, often without prior warning.
In February, the latest incident took place when the centre reported that police forces sealed the place with red wax and arrested the doorman of the building.
El-Nadeem then released a statement following the shutdown, explaining that the police station rejected documenting the closure in accordance with the lawyers’ request; therefore, they referred the case to the prosecution.
The Ministry of Health and Population previously released a statement in February 2016 to clarify the attempts at closing El-Nadeem, saying that the centre changed its nature—from being a clinic treating psychological and nervous problems as registered in 2003 to being a rehabilitation centre for victims of torture—without informing the ministry. This led to the closure of the centre, according to the ministry.
El-Nadeem previously responded to the accusations, saying that the closure came rather due to their reports documenting torture. Regularly documenting torture cases—including those committed in detention facilities—the centre had continued to report on torture, extra-judicial killings, and forced disappearances.
