CAIRO (dpa) – Egypt on Wednesday lifted a travel ban preventing 19 American and two German pro-democracy activists currently on trial in Cairo from leaving the country, judicial sources told dpa. “Egypt's general prosecutor ordered the cancelling of the travel ban on all activists,” the source said. A total of 43 activists are facing charges of receiving illegal foreign funding, meddling in politics and operating in Egypt without licenses. The non-governmental organizations involved include Germany's Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the Washington-based International Republican Institute (IRI). Only seven of the US nationals were still in Egypt, where they have sought refuge at the American embassy in Cairo. It was not immediately clear when any of the activists involved in the case would leave the country. US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told lawmakers in Washington that the US had not yet received confirmation that the travel ban had been lifted, but was working with Egyptian authorities on the matter. The move came just hours after the panel of judges hearing the trial resigned from the case. Presiding Judge Mohamed Shukri did not give a reason for his decision to request the appointment of a new panel, according to local television reports. However, experts noted that in Egypt judges can resign while hearing a case if they conclude that prevailing circumstances are not conducive to a fair trial. Shukri's decision was made after Egyptian authorities reportedly asked him to drop the travel ban on the 43 defendants, according to local media reports, citing unnamed sources. The case has caused a rift between Egypt and Western powers, with the United States threatening to withhold 1.3 billion dollars in annual military aid to Egypt, its key Arab ally, if the activists were put on trial. On Tuesday, Clinton appeared to anticipate events by saying Washington and Cairo were moving toward a resolution “very soon.” The trial opened in a Cairo criminal court on Sunday and was adjourned to April 26 after the defence asked for more time to prepare. The US defendants include Sam LaHood, the son of US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who runs the Egypt office of the IPI. In December, prosecutors and police raided the offices of 17 organizations across the country, detaining employees and seizing computer files. Pro-democracy advocates say the crackdown was designed to smear civil society groups for exposing alleged abuses by Egypt's military-led government. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/fpSOj Tags: featured, lifted, Travel Ban, US NGO Section: Egypt, Latest News
