 |
| Ibrahim was also
convicted of fabricating false information to harm the
country’s reputation
|
CAIRO,
August 26 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Egyptian-American
sociology professor Saad Eddin Ibrahim, whose jailing is at the center
of a diplomatic spat between Washington and Cairo, will appeal his
sentence, his lawyers confirmed Sunday, August 25.
“We
have nearly 30 days to launch an appeal. We’ll do it as soon as
possible, but these things take time,” Ibrahim’s lawyer, Mohamed
Eid, told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“We
will examine the contents of the verdict to define exactly the faults
on which the appeal will be based,” he said.
The
announcement came after the state security court released the full
details of the seven-year sentence passed against Ibrahim in July,
which included charges of receiving funds from an Israeli university
and NATO.
Ibrahim,
63, was sentenced following a retrial on charges that included
tarnishing
Egypt
’s image abroad and misappropriating funds.
The
White House confirmed after the verdict that U.S. President George W.
Bush would oppose new aid to
Egypt
to protest against the sentence.
Egypt
, a moderating influence in the
Middle East
conflict, receives about two billion dollars a year in
U.S.
military and civilian aid, the second largest aid package granted to
any country besides
Israel
.
The
U.S.
decision will not affect existing aid programs to
Egypt
, but will prevent
Cairo
from receiving a 130 million dollar package sought to alleviate losses
in tourism revenue after the September 11 attacks on the
United States
.
The
verdict for Ibrahim was also condemned by local and international
rights groups and the European Union (E.U.).
But
the
U.S.
retaliation prompted Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher to bluntly tell
Washington
his country would “not accept any pressure” from it, and was also
condemned as a double standard by local newspapers and several Arab
states.
Minister
of State for Foreign Affairs Fayza Abu Al-Naga on Sunday repeated that
Egypt
“rejects pressure and does not accept (..) a linkage between aid and
a personal case like Saad Eddin Ibrahim’s.”
Eid,
meanwhile, said the defense could launch several challenges to the
verdict, including the fact the court did not respond to an argument
that considers the use of an emergency military law to convict his
client “unconstitutional.”
However,
an appeal could become increasingly complicated as the details of the
sentence showed Ibrahim was convicted of illegally receiving Israeli
funds, an issue that could arouse the Egyptian public feeling against
the sociologist.
“Deposits,
withdrawals and transactions were made in the accounts of Mr. Ibrahim
and his wife by foreign parties, including the University of Haifa and
NATO,” the head of the country’s bank watchdog, Abdel Hadi Abdel
Fatah, was quoted as saying in a copy of the verdict obtained by AFP.
Also
listed among the “foreign parties” involved in Ibrahim’s
finances were the E.U., the Qatar-based Arab satellite television
station Al-Jazeera and a Swiss human rights group, the document said.
Ibrahim
was also convicted of “fabricating false information to harm the
country’s reputation,” including reports about discrimination and
massacres against the Coptic Christian minority, according to the
court.
The
court faulted one of Ibrahim’s reports for saying the Copts’
marginalization started with the 1952 revolution that ended the
monarchy, and was exacerbated under the late President Anwar Sadat’s
1970-1981 rule.
“Ibrahim
asked a German Protestant organization to fund a project on the
Copts’ sensitivity to the educational system,” the court added.
The
security court had also sentenced three of Ibrahim’s associates to
up to three years in jail, while 24 others received suspended
sentences.
Ibrahim,
whose health has been declining for the past year, served eight months
in jail following his original trial in May 2001, but was freed in
February when the country’s top appeals court ordered a retrial,
citing irregularities.
On
Thursday, August 22, Syrian Foreign Minister Faruq al-Shara wrapped up
in
Cairo
a tour to support
Saudi Arabia
and
Egypt
in the face of
U.S.
pressure over
Iraq
, human rights and post-September 11 charges of terrorism, said AFP.
Shara
met Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Wednesday in the
Red Sea
port city of
Jeddah
and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak Thursday in the Mediterranean
town of
Marsa Matruh
.
Official
reports on the talks were vague, but a Syrian spokesperson had said
from
Damascus
that Shara would seek “a unified position” in the face of the
U.S.
pressure.
Egyptian
Ambassador to the United States Nabeel Fahmi said he was confident
that the dispute over Saad Eddin Ibrahim “will not affect the
substance of US-Egyptian relations.”
He
hinted that the
United States
needed
Egypt
to implement its policy in the region and that the pressure exerted
over Ibrahim’s case will backfire.
“
Egypt
is able to take tough positions on regional issues ... The U.S.
position on this case will not be productive,” he said.
