Kamal el-Ganzouri, Egypt's military-backed prime minister, has said Egypt will not bow to Western pressure to end its crackdown on foreign-funded non-governmental organisations in the country. Egypt "won't back down or take a different route because of some aid or other", he announced from the cabinet's headquarters in Cairo on Wednesday. The military-backed government's campaign against pro-democracy and rights groups began late last year with security force raids on the offices of the organisations. Ganzouri said Western countries "turned against us" after the crackdown against the NGOs began, and added that his government will not be swayed by US threats to cut off aid to the country. The US has threatened to withhold the annual $1.3bn aid to Egypt over the dispute. Judges referred 19 Americans and 24 others to trial on Sunday on accusations they illegally used foreign funds to foment unrest in the country. The judges say the evidence collected in the case against the Americans includes maps, cash and videos taken of churches and military facilities.
Kamal el-Ganzouri, Egypt's military-backed prime minister, has said Egypt will not bow to Western pressure to end its crackdown on foreign-funded non-governmental organisations in the country.
Egypt "won't back down or take a different route because of some aid or other", he announced from the cabinet's headquarters in Cairo on Wednesday.
The military-backed government's campaign against pro-democracy and rights groups began late last year with security force raids on the offices of the organisations.
Ganzouri said Western countries "turned against us" after the crackdown against the NGOs began, and added that his government will not be swayed by US threats to cut off aid to the country.
The US has threatened to withhold the annual $1.3bn aid to Egypt over the dispute.
Judges referred 19 Americans and 24 others to trial on Sunday on accusations they illegally used foreign funds to foment unrest in the country.
The judges say the evidence collected in the case against the Americans includes maps, cash and videos taken of churches and military facilities.
Dec. 29 when the authorities raided 17 NGO offices. The list includes those used by the Washington-based National Democratic Institute (NDI), International Republican Institute (IRI), Freedom House, and the International Center for Journalists, as well as Germany's Konrad-Adenauer Stiftung. Several Egyptian NGOs, including the Arab Centre for the Independence of the Judiciary and Legal Profession and the Budgetary and Human Rights Rights Observatory, were also raided.
Ganzouri said...that his government will not be swayed by US threats to cut off aid to the country.
