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Africa North
NGO trial sours US-Egypt ties
2012-02-27
CAIRO: The trial of 16 Americans and 27 others opens Sunday at a Cairo courthouse in what critics say is a politically charged case linked to a government crackdown on nonprofit groups that has touched off the deepest crisis in US-Egyptian relations in decades.

The case, which involves American employees of four US-based pro-democracy groups, has tested one of WashingtonÂ’s most pivotal relationships in the Middle East, and prompted US officials to threaten to cut a $1.5 billion annual aid package to Egypt if the issue is not resolved. Egyptian authorities have responded by blasting what they call US meddling in EgyptÂ’s legal affairs.

There are 43 defendants in the case — 16 Americans, 16 Egyptians, as well as Germans, Palestinians, Serbs and Jordanians. They have been charged with the illegal use foreign funds to foment unrest and operating without a license. But the investigation fits into a broader campaign by Egypt’s rulers against alleged foreign influence since the ouster of longtime rule Hosni Mubarak last year.

Rights groups have sharply criticized the investigation into the pro-democracy groups and the charges, saying they are part of an orchestrated effort by Egyptian authorities to silence critics and cripple civil society groups critical of the militaryÂ’s handling of the countryÂ’s transition to democracy. Egyptian officials counter by saying the trial has nothing to do with the government and is in the judiciaryÂ’s hands.
As we discussed yesterday, the NGOs were indeed doing things to 'educate' various political parties and groups. We call it 'promoting democracy', the Egyptians call it 'interference in internal affairs'. Call it what you like, we're holding the short, dirty end of the stick this time, and it's not going to be pretty.
President Barack Obama has urged EgyptÂ’s military rulers to drop the investigation, and high-level officials, including Joint Chiefs Chairman Martin Dempsey and Republican Sen. John McCain, have flown in to Cairo to seek a solution.

A senior US official said that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton had raised the matter twice in person with Egypt’s foreign minister — once in London and once in Tunisia — in the past three days and that other senior US officials are actively involved.

However, the US cannot be seen as pushing too hard against EgyptÂ’s ruling military council, which is viewed as the best hope for a stable transition for a nation that is not just a regional heavyweight, but also the most populous in the Arab world and a lynchpin in WashingtonÂ’s Middle East policy, largely because of its landmark peace treaty with Israel.
It will indeed be counter-productive as both the Muslim Brotherhood and the rubes on the street will see it as the leadership caving in once again to the imperialists. That won't help matters.
The US State Department says that seven of the 16 Americans facing trial have been barred from leaving Egypt by the countryÂ’s attorney general. Several Americans, including Sam LaHood, son of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, have sought refuge in the US Embassy.

It is not clear whether the Americans and the rest of the defendants will appear in court Monday. They could not be immediately reached by telephone.

The Americans work for four US-based groups: the International Republican Institute, the National Democratic Institute, Freedom House and a group that trains journalists.

The dispute began in December when Egyptian security forces raided the offices of the pro-democracy groups, seizing documents and computers.

Earlier this month the NDI said in a statement that it denies the accusations and that it fulfilled all of the registration requirements for the past six years, including a number of updates provided in January.

Freedom House President David J. Kramer said this month that the charges against the NGOs indicates that freedom in Egypt “has only gotten worse” under Mubarak’s appointed ruling generals who took power after the longtime authoritarian leader was toppled.

“Let me state clearly that we do not view this situation as a legal matter involving rule of law,” Kramer said. “The charges are clearly political in nature and without foundation.”
Problem is, both sides can point to the law and say they're right.
The state-run Al-Ahram daily on Sunday reported that 19 Americans, not 16, were facing trial. The newspaper, quoting leaked Egyptian intelligence reports, said that some of the computers seized in the raid had sensitive information affecting EgyptÂ’s national security.

The newspaper, quoting the intelligence report, charged that LaHood, who heads the IRI office in Egypt, had advised his employees not to disclose their foreign nationalities under any circumstances. The charges against Lahood partly stem from the testimony of a woman named Dawlat Sweillam, who allegedly quit her job at IRI because of what she believed were activities that ran counter to Egyptian laws, according to the newspaper report.

While MondayÂ’s trial involves foreign-funded NGOs, hundreds of Egyptian non-governmental organizations have also come under investigation from the government since MubarakÂ’s ouster.

Activists blame Mubarak-era laws that have been used to go after groups critical of state policies.
First you make an example of the foreigners, then you cow --and/or thump -- the domestics.
Posted by:Steve White

#1  Have we put a hold on their payoff yet?
Posted by: mojo   2012-02-27 16:45  

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