Egypt sets date for trial of foreign democracy activists

Egyptian judicial authorities announced on Saturday that 43 civil society workers, including at least 16 Americans, will face trial on Feb. 26 over illegal foreign funding for nongovernmental organizations, diminishing hopes that Washington and Cairo might reach a diplomatic, rather than a legal, resolution to the worsening flap.

Egypt's prosecution of the NGO employees on charges of illegally distributing foreign funds and running unregistered organizations threatens to rupture a strategic relationship that has formed a bulwark of Middle East security for more than a generation.

The case has pushed the US Congress closer than ever before to canceling the $1.3 billion in annual military aid the US has given Egypt since 1987.

It also raises the troubling prospect that six of the indicted Americans who still live in Egypt could soon face arrest, though NGO employees reached on Saturday said they expect to appear in court without being detained.

The trial date also creates an awkward moment for the US State Department. At least three of the seven indicted Americans who still live in Egypt are currently taking refuge at the US Embassy as guests of the American ambassador, including Sam LaHood, the son of US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood.

Those Americans declined to comment on Saturday as to whether or not they would attend the trial.

If convicted of the charges, the NGO employees could face a financial penalty and up to five years in prison.