NGO Law

Editor’s Note: When foreigners give money to political organizations, both the donor and the recipient often become suspect. Governments around the world that fear criticism, oppose human rights, or otherwise reject the agendas of these groups are increasingly trying to ban foreign backing of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Ron Krebs and James Ron of the University of Minnesota argue that such bans are a mistake. They contend that foreign funding of NGOs should be encouraged in parts of the world where domestic support for such groups is lacking.

An Egyptian-American has been in pretrial detention in Egypt for more than 900 days—for helping street children. What is strange about Aya Hijazi's case is that she meets none of the obvious criteria for the typical victims of the Egyptian government’s crackdown on its own civil society.