Sociologist Saadeddin Ibrahim's retrial ended with another guilty verdict, and a score of shocked reactions. Jailan Halawi reports A state security court sentenced renowned human rights activist Saadeddin Ibrahim to seven years behind bars on Monday. The American University in Cairo (AUC) sociology professor was being re- tried on charges of violating Military Decree No. 4, issued in 1992, prohibiting the receipt of funds from abroad without government permission. He was further accused of embezzling such funding, as well as tarnishing Egypt's image abroad by disseminating false information. Just like in the original trial, which was later declared void by a higher court, this time Ibrahim, the founder and director of the Ibn Khaldoun Centre for Developmental Studies (ICDS), was found guilty on all counts. Twenty-one of his colleagues at ICDS, who had received one-year suspended sentences in the original trial, were given the same sentence in the retrial, and hence freed. Of the remaining six ICDS employees on trial, the new sentences ranged between three-five years jail time for three of the defendants, and two-year suspended sentences for the remaining three. The sociologist's family, human rights groups and diplomats who were closely following the case, all expressed their shock and disappointment with the verdict, which was roundly denounced as being "politically motivated". After hearing the sentence, the 63-year-old Ibrahim, who holds a dual Egyptian-American citizenship, told Al-Ahram Weekly that he was "determined to fight on and never give up on freedom and democracy in Egypt, and pay whatever price it takes". Ibrahim's wife Barbara said that she had "naively" assumed her husband would be sentenced to the eight months he had already served in jail so "they could have the satisfaction of convicting him but not make him go back to prison". Ibrahim had served eight months in jail after the original state security court sentenced him to seven years in prison last May. However, he was freed in February when the Court of Cassation ordered a retrial, saying the original hearing had failed to properly examine the prosecution's evidence or the defence's arguments. The three-month retrial began in late April at the Bab Al-Khalq court in downtown Cairo. According to Barbara Ibrahim, the timing of Monday's verdict was particularly surprising because the judge had told the defence team on Sunday that he needed weeks to read all the defence documents, and that Ibrahim could read a statement in court on Monday. Instead, Barbara said, "the rule of law died in Egypt today. [It was] the saddest day for Egypt that I have seen in the 27 years I lived in this country," she said. "No one could believe it. I have never seen a scene of so much shock as at that moment," she said. She was able to talk to her husband for 10 minutes after the verdict, before he was whisked away to jail. She said Ibrahim "sat very quietly inside [a holding room] on a bench, and he talked about it as a travesty of justice. He said that it shows that this is a regime that has learnt nothing from the past. He said he believed that there is still integrity in the higher court [Court of Cassation], so he assumes the ruling will be overturned." Barbara was especially worried about Ibrahim's return to jail after several months of freedom, because his health had declined in the past year. "He takes about seven different medications every day, which he does not have with him. He sleeps every night with a special electrical-powered ventilation machine, which helps put air into his lungs," she said, adding that she now intends to seek permission for Ibrahim to receive the equipment and medication he needs while in jail. Ibrahim suffers from a neurological disorder that prevents sufficient oxygen from reaching deeper recesses of the brain. He had earlier requested permission to travel abroad for treatment but never received a response from judicial authorities who seized his Egyptian and US passports after he was first charged two years ago. A prominent sociologist of international repute, Ibrahim's trial has been one of highest-profile court cases in Egypt in years, and Monday's sentence sparked protests from both the United States and Europe. Shortly after the sentence was announced, the US Embassy in Egypt expressed its "disappointment and concern". "I'm very discouraged that the court has reached a decision to convict Dr Ibrahim," said a statement from US Chargé d'Affaires Gordon Gray. "On many occasions we have expressed our concern to the Egyptian government, both here and in Washington, about the process that led to this verdict. We are currently analysing the implications of this decision," he said. In response Foreign Minster Ahmed Maher told reporters on Tuesday that "it is unusual for an embassy, whatever one it is, to publish a commentary on a verdict. It's not a political issue and should not be politicised. It is a legal matter," Maher said. Maher's comments notwithstanding, a spokesman from the British Embassy in Cairo said, "we are very shocked and disappointed with the ruling. We were expecting that the retrial would result in a lesser sentence." The US State Department, meanwhile, also issued a rebuke: "We are deeply disappointed today in the decision by Egypt's State Security Court," said deputy spokesman Philip Reeker. AUC President John Gerhart also issued a statement expressing his "dismay" at the renewed conviction of Ibrahim. "Dr Ibrahim is an internationally renowned scholar, certainly Egypt's best known political and sociological commentator. He has courageously pursued his vocation as a committed scholar, while remaining at all times a patriotic Egyptian, loyally and effectively representing his country in accordance with its most notable scholarly traditions," Gerhart said. Egyptian as well as international human rights organisations also said they were disturbed and dismayed by the court's decision. "We are very shocked by the sentencing which seems very severe," Sara Hamood of Amnesty International said. "From the beginning we have said that the charges against him and the others were politically motivated." She added that the trial appeared to be an attempt by Egypt to "silence rights groups and muzzle civil society". Hafez Abu Saeda, secretary-general of the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights (EOHR) believes that the verdict is a message to Egyptian civil society and human rights groups that the government will no longer tolerate their activities. "Today's verdict is a threat to all NGOs in Egypt. It contradicts government claims that it will only apply emergency laws to terrorists," Abu Saeda said. Abdel-Qader Hashim, one of Ibrahim's lawyers, told the Weekly that an appeal will be submitted to the prosecutor- general's office asking for a suspension of the sentence, on the grounds that it represents a threat to Ibrahim's life because of his deteriorating health condition. The prosecutor-general can then either accept or refuse the appeal. If he accepts, a committee investigates Ibrahim's health and issues a report, based on which the prosecutor-general then gives his decision. Hashim described the verdict as "shocking" and "unexpected". He explained that "the court ignored all the defence's arguments while only adopting the viewpoint of the prosecutors." Hashim said the defense team found "the situation very difficult to absorb or comprehend. What more could be done? He had two of Egypt's top attorneys who were former Chief Supreme Constitutional Court Justices (Ibrahim Saleh and Awad El-Morr) representing him. His defense witnesses were a group of reputed university professors, diplomats and high ranking government officials who testified about Ibrahim's valuable contributions in the field of social science". For its part, the EU issued a statement regarding Ibrahim being found guilty of illegally receiving funds from the EU to monitor parliamentary elections. Chris Patten, the European commissioner for external relations, described Ibrahim as a "well- known and internationally respected democracy campaigner". He said the allegations concerning EU money were unfounded and said the court verdict undermined the cause of democratic reform in Egypt. "I was dismayed to learn of these sentences and reiterate that the EU has no evidence of the alleged falsification of documents, which seems to have been central to the case for the prosecution," said Patten's statement. "We deplore the continued use of state security courts to prosecute cases of this nature," he added. The 15-nation EU is an important provider of aid to Egypt, and enjoys generally good economic and political relations with Egypt under the Euro- Mediterranean Partnership. Patten's spokesman Gunnar Wiegand indicated that under the terms of that partnership Egypt was required to respect human rights and to promote democracy. Hashim, Ibrahim's lawyer, said that it was sociologist's trial and conviction are "that tarnish Egypt's image abroad, and not Ibrahim's research". Related stories: Prosecuting Ibrahim -- again 25 - 31 July 2002 Taking the stand for Ibrahim 23 -29 May 2002 Standard of proof 16 - 22 May 2002 Case snagged 9 - 15 May 2002 Seeking redemption 2 - 8 May 2002 A slow walk to freedom 14 - 20 February 2002 Bothered and bewildered 7 - 13 June 2001
