CAIRO: Egyptian authorities tried to shut down Egypt’s main NGO treating torture victims on Tuesday for the second time, but its doctors refused, describing their work as vital.

The officials who came to the Nadeem Center’s offices in downtown Cairo and ordered the premises closed refused to show any official documentation, said Aida Seif El-Dawla, a psychiatrist and one of the organization’s founders. Police originally attempted to shut down the center in February.

“They were aggressive and said they would contact the Interior Ministry,” which is in charge of police, Seif El-Dawla said by telephone. “But we are not leaving, we are holding out here while our lawyers make inquiries. We are providing a needed service and will stay open for as long as we can.”

Nadeem has aided thousands of patients since its founding by three psychiatrists in 1993, last year documenting some 600 cases of torture.