Egyptian civil society activists today condemned new proposals to regulate nongovernmental organizations.

The proposed rules are an attempt to curb independent voices led by “remnants of the dissolved National Democratic Party” and “followers of the ousted dictator Hosni Mubarak,” including Fayza Aboul Naga (below), the minister of planning and international cooperation, said a statement by a coalition of rights groups.*

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="216" caption="The villain of the piece. Photo credit: Al Masry Al Youn"][/caption]

The minister was also singled out for criticism by Les Campbell, director of Middle East programs at the Washington-based National Democratic Institute, who described the Egyptian authorities’ ...