Seven years

The seven-year sentence against prominent sociologist and NGO activist has left observers stunned. Nadia Abou El-Magd reports
looked cheerful as he entered the courtroom on Monday morning. When he defended himself before the judges he choked with tears. But when the tribunal sentenced him to seven years in prison he fell utterly silent.
Ibrahim, 62, who has both Egyptian and American citizenships, is founder and director of the Ibn Khaldun Centre for Developmental Studies. He was arrested on 30 June and, since then, the Ibn Khaldun Centre has been closed. Ibrahim was detained for 40 days before being released on bail. The government charged Ibrahim and 27 others connected to the Ibn Khaldun centre with several alleged crimes including accepting foreign funds without government approval. After an earthquake hit Egypt in 1992 and relief aid poured into the country, a military decree banned accepting foreign donations without government permission. The foreign donor in question is the European Union, which provided money to promote political awareness and participation in Egypt's general elections. Other charges included compiling false reports about the status of Copts in Egypt; attempting to embezzle money; and making plans to bribe radio and television officials to broadcast programmes about the Ibn Khaldun Centre. The trial began last November.
On Monday, after almost three hours of the prosecution's conclusion and the defence's comments, the trial adjourned briefly. And after an hour of waiting, the atmosphere grew suddenly tense at the Supreme State Security court at Bab-El-Khalq in Fatimid Cairo as police and government security forces swarmed the court, clutching riot-shields and batons. Spotting sets of handcuffs, some defendants began weeping. Nobody, even the lawyers, had expected a ruling so soon. The judge then returned and briskly passed sentence. Apart from Ibrahim, he sentenced four defendants to two years in jail. Two other defendants were sentenced to five years. The judge sentenced the remaining defendants to one year, suspended. Some defendants were tried in absentia. After the judgement, many people in the courtroom were too stunned to speak.
Others gave vent to their anguish. Khaled Fayad, the third defendant and director of the Ibn Khaldun project, screamed, wept, crashed his head against the defendants' cage and raged at the court. Another defendant, Mohamed Mukhtar, wept silently while gripping a copy of the Qur'an which he had read constantly throughout the trial. Then, most of the accused began crying loudly. Ibrahim remained dignified, gazing quietly at the floor. Security officers asked journalists and relatives of the defendants to leave immediately.
Moments after he was sentenced, Ibrahim told Al-Ahram Weekly that "the fight goes on for justice. I am paying the price of what I believe in and what I stand for and what I am still committed to." He added that he has "no regrets." Nevertheless, he is "shocked, but has faith that justice will prevail sooner or later."
State Security Prosecutor Ashraf Helal insisted that "the evidence is bright and clear." Helal had demanded the maximum penalty for the defendants "who harmed society's interests, values and laws." The rulings cannot be appealed but may be contested before the Court of Cassation on procedural grounds. The court must explain the reasons behind the verdicts within a month. "We are absolutely going to contest it immediately after the court presents the details of their ruling," Barbara Ibrahim, Ibrahim's wife, told the Weekly.
Mrs Ibrahim also said that she learned on Tuesday that her husband has been sent to Torah prison, in the political prisoners section, which she described as an "interesting" detail. "I'm numb, but I'm very concerned about his health," she said. She added that Ibrahim has no feeling in his left hand and is losing coordination and balance while walking. The prison authorities have told her she may not see him for a month. "I'm in a fighting spirit and I'm not going to give up my faith in the Egyptian judicial system," she commented.
Before the judgement was pronounced, and upon the request of one of his lawyers, Ibrahim was allowed to leave his cage to make his last remarks. Wearing a blue shirt, blue trousers and a striped jacket, a tie hanging from its pocket, Ibrahim limped to the podium. There, he said he had "never imagined that he would face trial" after the government encouraged him to "preach civil society." Ibrahim recalled how, at the authorities' request, he presented a television show, Away from the Limelight, from 1992 until the end of 1995. The show was broadcast at peak time after the nine o'clock news on Fridays. Ibrahim estimated it enjoyed around 20 million viewers. The premise of the programme, Ibrahim said, was to present an "alternative to extremism and terrorism, which were Egypt's most dangerous challenges at the time." Ibrahim then described "how I was transformed into a traitor, a criminal and head of a gang." At this point, Ibrahim's control wavered and he broke into tears. "I took the call for democracy seriously. Maybe that is my fault," he said.
Commenting on the ruling, Abdel-Qader Hashem, a member of Ibrahim's defence team, insisted on Monday that the case was political. According to him, by addressing sensitive issues like elections and Copts, Ibrahim got into trouble with the state.
The prosecution argued that Ibrahim had tarnished Egypt's image abroad by spreading lies about parliamentary elections and the mistreatment of Copts.
In a cautious statement, Ibrahim's former employers, the American University in Cairo, declared respect for Egypt's judicial system and said that Ibrahim had "served on the faculty with great distinction for 25 years." The statement also said the university was "saddened by the verdict" and expressed hope that authorities would consider Ibrahim's "age and deteriorating health."
In Washington, State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher said on Monday the United States was "deeply troubled" by the judgement. "We have been expressing all along our concerns about the process that resulted in this sentence," he said.
Diane Kelly, first secretary at the political section of the American Embassy, attended the trial as did Gregor Csorsz of the European Union and Mirella Abdel-Sater of Amnesty International "We believe that charges against Dr were politically motivated," Amnesty International and the New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a joint statement. "The trial falls in the context of a number of blows intended to muzzle civil society," the statement added.
Some took exception to this view. Mustafa Bakri, chief editor of the independent weekly Al-Osbou, who has been launching a smear campaign against Ibrahim, told the Weekly, "The verdict is not political because it is based on the available evidence." He added, "Those who ally themselves with foreign quarters to harm Egypt's national security are crossing the red line and should be executed in a public square." Bakri then excitedly vowed to expose "those who are carrying out an American agenda on Egyptian soil under the banners of scientific research and opinion polls, especially those who have a special relationship with Israel and are calling for normalisation and advocating a culture of peace."
By contrast, renowned Al-Ahram columnist Salama Ahmed Salama said he was "surprised and concerned by the verdict." He added: "I think the verdict will have a negative impact on Egypt and its reputation and will cast doubt on its credibility, integrity and tolerance of human rights movements." According to Salama, the relationship between the state and NGOs is still "ambivalent," and a court-of-law was not the appropriate place to settle that relationship. Salama expressed hope that the Court of Cassation will reconsider the judgement.
Salah Eissa, a leftist writer, was also "shocked by the harsh verdict." He said that if Ibrahim was sent to prison because he accepted donations and because he defamed Egypt, "it means that they have revived dead articles in the Egyptian law," a move Eissa described as "dangerous." "We want to be governed by clear democratic rules and laws," he added. Hafez Abu-Se'da, chief of the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights, said that the "arbitrary trials and laws which produced this sentence should come to an end."
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