10/02/2017 (Agence Europe) – On Thursday 9 February, the spokesperson for the European External Action Service criticised the closure the same day of the Al-Nadeem Centre for Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence, in Egypt, describing it as "a development of particular concern". "The Centre has played a critical role in treating victims of violence and is an important source of expertise in the field of torture", the spokesperson said in a press release, stating that the fight against torture is a common objective for all parties to the Convention Against Torture, including Egypt. The Egyptian authorities accuse the NGO of not being in line with the administration's rules. The Al-Nadeem rehabilitation centre assesses the complaints, lodged by civilians, of torture in places of detention and prisons, and assesses the complaints lodged by the families of people who have disappeared. It is not the first time that the Egyptian authorities have tried to close this NGO. (CG)