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Most of the Americans were sentenced in absentia because they had long left the country, including Sam LaHood, son of the US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. He received a five-year jail term.
The only American defendant still in Egypt was Robert Becker, who was sentenced to two years. Becker has maintained that his refusal to flee Egypt with fellow Americans who were in the country at the time of the crackdown on non-profit groups was to show solidarity with his Egyptian colleagues.
After his verdict, Becker, who was not in the courtroom for the verdict, wrote on his Twitter account that he was reviewing his “legal/appeals options” with his lawyers.
The verdict, read out by judge Makram Awad, also ordered the closure of the offices and seizure of the assets in Egypt belonging to the US NGOs as well as one German organisation for which the defendants worked.
These are the International Republican Institute, the National Democratic Institute, Freedom House, a centre for training journalists, and Germany’s Konrad Adenauer Foundation.
Of the 43 defendants, 27 received five-year jail terms. Another five received two years while 11, all of them Egyptians, got suspended one-year sentences.
In Egypt, defendants tried in absentia typically are convicted and receive the maximum sentence for a specific offense. However, if they return and give themselves up, they also get an automatic retrial.
The verdict Tuesday also ordered each of the 43 defendants fined with 1 000 Egyptian pounds (US$143).
On trial beside the Americans were eight other foreigners, of Serbian, Palestinian, Lebanese, and other nationalities.
The trial began in early 2012, during the nearly 17 months of military rule that followed the ouster the previous year of U.S. ally Hosni Mubarak. The case led to a period of tension in US-Egyptian relations and Washington warned that unless resolved, it could lead to the loss of American aid.
There was no immediate comment from the Obama administration on the verdicts, but a senior U.S. congressman, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Ed Royce, condemned the ruling in a statement and urged Islamist President Mohammed Morsi to allow nonprofit groups to work toward a democratic Egypt.
“This is another assault on Egyptian civil society. As if these trials were not bad enough, the Egyptian government is pushing a new law targeting NGOs that will further suffocate civil society,” said Royce, a Republican from California. “President Morsi should immediately reverse course and allow for Egyptian domestic and international NGOs to work toward a democratic and secure Egypt.” — Xinhua.
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