Twenty-seven Egyptian human rights organizations on Thursday criticized the government for excluding certain political forces from the so-called "national dialogue" it is holding. They said the exclusion represented a continuation of the ousted regime’s policies of marginalization over the last 30 years.
Deputy Prime Minister Yehia al-Gamal on Wednesday held what the government considered to be comprehensive "national dialogue" with 160 representatives of various political forces, intellectuals, public figures and youth of the 25 January revolution.
The dialogue, entitled “towards a new social contract”, aimed to discuss ways of overcoming political and economic problems that the country suffered during the past 30 years of autocracy and dictatorship.
In a statement on Thursday, the rights organizations said the government had excluded the Wafd, Tagammu, Nasserist and Ghad parties, as well as representatives of human rights and civil society organizations, from the initiative.
The statement said that excluding certain bodies from the dialogue raises questions about the selection criteria, and concerns about the revolution’s gains and achievements.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
