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DemocracyAlertsFrom time to time, the World Movement for Democracy issues alerts concerning participants and other colleagues who are, or may be, facing personal danger due to their work on behalf of democracy and for whom a vigorous response from around the world may be critical. To see previous alerts go to www.wmd.org/democracyalerts/democracyAlerts.html. (December 10, 2002) Egyptian Democracy Activists Freed and Granted for a Retrial On Tuesday, December 3, 2002, Saad Eddin Ibrahim, an Egyptian-American Sociologist, was released from a prison pending his new trail. Egypt's highest Appeals Court ordered a re-trial for him overturning a previous decision by the State Security Court. Last year, Ibrahim was convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison on charges of tarnishing Egypt's image, accepting foreign money without government approval, and embezzling funds. This action has been widely condemned by human rights groups as politically motivated. The new trial will start on January 7, 2003. At least five of the Appeals Court judges will preside over the re-trial, which will be Ibrahim's third trial on the same charges. * * * * * * (August 2, 2002) Egyptian Democracy Activists Jailed Again After Retrials Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim, an Egyptian-American sociologist and democracy activist, has been sentenced to seven years in prison after a retrial on charges of tarnishing the country's image abroad and other offences. Ibrahim, director of the Ibn Khaldun Center for Development Studies in Cairo, was accused of defaming Egypt's reputation and receiving foreign funds without authorization. Some of Ibrahim's colleagues at the Ibn Khaldun Center were also sentenced, including Nadia 'Abd al-Nour, the Center's chief accountant, who received 2 years for a fraud charge. Two other defendants who were sentenced in the original trial to five-year prison terms on separate bribery and forgery charges, Magda Ibrahim al-Bey and Muhammad Hassanein 'Amara, were sentenced on retrial to three years of imprisonment. The remaining original sentences against 21 other defendants who had been handed down one-year suspended sentences remained unchanged, as did a two-year prison sentence passed in absentia on another defendant, Marwa Ibrahim Zaki. Ibrahim and 27 of his colleagues from the Ibn Khaldun Center were arrested in July 2000 and charged with spreading false information abroad and misappropriating international funds. The Egyptian State Security Court found them guilty in May 2001 and sentenced Ibrahim to seven years in prison. His colleagues all received varying sentences, ranging from one to seven years. Ibrahim and the other defendants were released from prison on February 7, 2002 and granted a retrial on the charges. * * * * * * (February 11, 2002) Egyptian Democracy Activists Granted New Trials Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim, an Egyptian-American sociologist and democracy activist, was freed from prison on February 7, 2002 and granted a retrial on charges including undermining the state. Egypt's Court of Cassation, the nation's highest court of appeals, overturned a lower court's conviction citing a number of problems in the original case, including coerced confessions and the exclusion of relevant document and testimonies that could have changed the outcome of the trial. Those of Ibrahim's colleagues still in prison, convicted of similar charges, have also been freed and await retrial. In July 2000, Ibrahim and 27 of his colleagues from the Ibn Khaldun Center for Development Studies were arrested and charged with spreading false information abroad and misappropriating international funds. The Egyptian State Security Court found them guilty in May and sentenced Ibrahim to seven years in prison. His colleagues all received sentences of varying severity ranging from one to seven years. Before the arrest of Ibrahim and most of its other staff members, the Ibn Khaldun Center was engaged primarily in democracy promotion work, such as voter education, civil-society strengthening, election monitoring and literacy campaigns. The July 2000 arrests fell just a few months short of Egypt's parliamentary elections and were widely believed to have been politically motivated. A new trial date has not yet been set for Ibrahim and his colleagues. It is unclear whether the State Security Court will again serve as the venue for the new trials or if another juridical body will try the cases. Some Egyptian democracy activists have also raised the possibility that the cases may never be brought before the courts at all given intensifying national and international scrutiny of the proceedings.
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