The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) didn’t give much thought to its internal processes in its early years. It was focused on those whose rights were being abused, not on building an administrative paragon. But with the organization expanding amid the 2011 revolution, ad hoc informality no longer seemed viable or appropriate. The leadership began to put new systems in place, and a board, in order to strengthen EIPR’s operations for whatever opportunities and challenges lay ahead. For many in the human rights field, investing in what seems like bureaucracy can look perverse - a distraction from the mission. Veteran EIPR leader Gasser Abdel-Razek reflects on the pros and cons of the path EIPR chose, and its very personal significance on the day he found himself under interrogation.

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