Egypt’s NGO case keeps on the boil

Egyptian Minister of Justice Adel Abdel Hamid Cairo – Akram Ali Egyptian Minister of Justice Adel Abdel Hamid said that he will carry out investigations into the NGOs case upon receiving any related report. He denied knowledge about the court apology or the lifting of the travel ban.
This comes at  a time when  two judges  apologised for continuing their work on the case, while the People’s Assembly foreign commission declared that the Assembly will take a stance against this sudden decision.
A group of American, European and Palestinian pro-democracy activists accused of fomenting unrest in Egypt left Cairo on a US military jet Thursday after being allowed to post bail, US and Egyptian authorities said.
The group had been under a travel ban that Egypt's government lifted Wednesday, two months after a series of raids that targeted international non-governmental organisations.
The Minister of Justice, in a phone call with Alhayat TV channel on Friday evening said:  “the problems concerning the NGOs case will not be resolved except by the Supreme Council of Judiciary”, adding that, “no entity may interfere in the affairs of the judiciary”. Judges are “independent and no-one can influence their work” he said.  He claimed that he was unaware of the court apology or the decision to  lift the  travel ban until he saw it on the TV news tickertape.
He added  that the court investigating the case “may decide to lift  the travel ban on the defendants without their presence”.
Hossam Ghariani, Head of the Cessation Court and Supreme Council of Judiciary, issued a statement appealing to judges and prosecutors not to talk to the media, and refrain from commenting on any judicial matter.
The two lawyers’ sub-syndicates of north and south Cairo denounced the decision to lift the travel ban, describing it as a “sinful assassination of justice and legislation”, pointing out that, “it is a vague decision, taken by a non-competent entity”.
In a joint statement  issued by the sub-syndicate said that what happened after the decision was made to allow a US aircraft to land  in Egypt to transport the defendants out of the country and the apology issued by the criminal court which took place earlier, “shows that there is a blatant interference in the authority of the judiciary,” The statement went on to say that that this indicates that “national independence is threatened, and that the blood shed by martyrs will go in vain”, stressing that the USA’s “obnoxious arrogance should not be allowed to interfere with “the sovereignty of the Egyptian people”.
The Liberal Lawyers’ Union demanded the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) to close the NGOs foreign funding file,  
“This decision has had a positive effect on the hearts of all activists in civil society” the statement went on to say, adding that the case should not have taken place  from the outset as “these (NGO) organisations were working here openly and transparently.”  “In addition”, the report summarised,  all their activities were carried out in cooperation with Egyptian organisations as well as political parties. It added that most of the parties that are now represented in the Peoples’ Assembly have worked with these NGO’s.
For his part, the agent of the foreign affairs commission of the Peoples’ Assembly, MP Wahid Abdel Meguid said that Parliament will “take a stand against the decision to lift the travel ban”, explaining that the Parliament would ask questions of  the Prime Minister, the Minister of International Cooperation, the Minister of Interior and the Minister of Social Affairs”. “The case was not just a legal one.” “From the beginning it has been amplified and introduced to the public as a political issue, for reasons unknown, and the Egyptian judiciary was involved which stained the image of Egypt in front of the world; as such irregularities of NGOs  are solved by law,  in a very simple manner, and do not exceed a fine”.
Meguid stressed in a TV interview the need to expose the full details  of the case, as he believed “we  are now faced with  two sides to the story.  If  the media’s  version is correct that there are plots to divide Egypt and a major conspiracy to destroy it, then whoever lifted the travel ban  has committed the crime of  high treason. The second version  is that the media has told lies to the public once again; if this is true, it is imperative to identify those responsible and what their objectives are.”
The two judges in the  NGOs case, Sameh Abou Zeid and Ashraf Al-Ashmawi refused to continue their work on the case, in solidarity with Mohamed Mahmoud Shokry, the Head of the State Security Court, who stepped down along with the rest of the court from working on the case.
Ashraf Al-Ashmawy said to Al-Masri Al-Youm newspaper: “I feel offended after the issuance of a sentence that is against the law, which canceled out our decision (to lift)  the travel ban”.