NGOs Live Blog

11 weeks 5 days ago - Egypt

The bail paid for US pro-democracy NGO workers facing charges in Egypt ultimately came from the US government, the State Department said on Friday.

Egyptian authorities had accused the workers, including the son of US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, of working for groups receiving illegal foreign funding and had barred them from leaving the country.

The amount of bail paid for the US citizens was set at about $330,000 each.

Out of a total of 43 foreign and Egyptian workers who have been charged in the case, 16 were US citizens and seven of those were in Egypt and had been subject to the travel ban. One of the seven chose to remain in Egypt, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters.

Nuland said the money to pay the bail ultimately came from the US government, saying that the Obama administration had agreed to treat the legal expenses stemming from the incident "as part of the activities that the US government funds."

"The NGOs paid the bail out of money that they received from the US government," she said.

"We agreed to this because the situation arose in the context of the democracy promotion work that they were doing that we had funded and supported." Nuland said that it was up to the US citizens who had left to decide whether to return to Egypt to face the charges.

She was unable to say whether the money would be forfeited to the Egyptian government if they did not, or whether the money would be returned to the NGOs or to the US government if they return to stand trial.

"Our hope and expectation is that we can get this case dismissed," she said, saying that if it was dismissed the questions about the bail would "presumably" be resolved. 

[Reuters]

Tags Cairo, NGOs, US
13 weeks 5 days ago - Egypt

Sources in the ministries of insurance and social affairs have told Egyptian newspaper Al Masry Al Youm that the ministries are currently reviewing license applications for a number of foreign civil society organisations, suggesting a resolution to a crisis that has strained Egypt-US ties may be in the works.

The investigation into NGOs began shortly after the ousting of President Hosni Mubarak a year ago and was instigated by International Cooperation and Planning Minister Fayza Aboul Naga. It has involved numerous Egyptian NGOs but has focused on US organisations, including the National Democratic Institute and International Republican Institute. Nineteen Americans, of whom at least six actually remain in Egypt, have been charged in the case.

The investigation has hinged on the fact that the American NGOs were allowed to operate but never officially register with the government, a status that allowed them to be prosecuted at any time.

Tags fayza aboulnaga, ministry, NGOs
14 weeks 9 hours ago - Egypt

Egypt's prime minister and the head of the influential seat of Islamic learning, al-Azhar, praised a campaign by an Islamist scholar to raise donations as a substitute for US aid that is threatened by a stand-off over civil society groups. 

The campaign spearheaded by prominent Salafi scholar Mohamed Hassaan calls on Egyptians to pay 10 pounds ($1.66) each in response to US threats to cut aid to Egypt over investigations that have resulted in charges against 19 Americans.

"The Egyptian people never accept to be insulted or humiliated ... This people won't kneel to anyone but God," Hassaan said in a TV interview broadcast this week.

Egypt has a population of 85 million, many of whom live under the poverty line. Were each to heed his call, the campaign would raise $141.6 million.

The row with Washington is one of the worst in more than 30 years of close US-Egyptian ties.

US officials have said $1.3 bn in annual US military aid to Cairo is at risk, along with some $250 million in economic aid. 

Hassaan has a wide following among Egyptians. Speaking about his campaign, Minister of International Cooperation Fayza Abul Naga said the government had received 60 million pounds in donations so far.

In two separate meetings with Hassaan on Thursday, Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri and Azhar's Grand Imam Ahmed el-Tayeb praised his efforts.

- Reuters

Tags Cairo, Islamists, NGOs, United States
14 weeks 9 hours ago - Egypt

A top Republican lawmaker called for "punitive action" Thursday against Egyptian officials for the crackdown on US democracy advocates.

Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, singled out Egypt's Minister of International Cooperation Fayza Abul Naga.

"The Egyptian government's actions cannot be taken lightly and warrant punitive actions against certain Egyptian officials, and reconsideration of US assistance to Egypt," Ros-Lehtinen told a House hearing.

"While the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces bears ultimate responsibility for this strain in relations, the minister of international cooperation should not be exempt from punitive actions."

It was the latest in a drumbeat of congressional outrage over raids on pro-democracy groups in Egypt, and charges against American activists.

US lawmakers from both parties have stepped up their warnings that Egypt's crackdown will force a review of the $1.3 bn in US military aid to the longtime Middle Eastern ally if the crisis is not quickly resolved.

"I truly believe we are approaching a precipice beyond which our bilateral relations could suffer permanent damage," Democratic Representative Gary  Ackerman said Wednesday.

- Agence France Presse

Tags fayza aboulnaga, NGOs, United States
15 weeks 22 hours ago - Egypt

General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, will visit Egypt later this week in a "long-planned" visit that will almost assuredly include a discussion of Americans being prosecuted by the government, CNN has reported.

Nineteen Americans were indicted by judicial prosecutors earlier this week for working for unlicensed pro-democracy groups that the government says were favouring certain political ideologies. At least six of the Americans are currently in Cairo and banned from traveling.

A spokesman for Dempsey declined to comment on whether there were plans to take the Americans out of Egypt.

Tags joint chiefs of staff, NGOs, visit

Al Jazeera Live

What's Hot


Recent Comments

This work is licensed under Creative Commons. Please read our attribution policy.