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FACTS OF THE CASE:

On 3 December 2002, Egypt's highest court ordered a new trial for Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim. Dr. Ibrahim was released immediately after the ruling.

Dr. Ibrahim was first arrested in July 2000, along with 27 of his associates at the Ibn Khaldun Center for Development Studies, a Cairo-based civil society organization. In May 2001, a court found him guilty of tarnishing the image of Egypt abroad and illegally accepting funds from the European Union and sentenced him to a seven year prison term. The funds were designated for a pro-democracy documentary that detailed corruption in Egypt's voting practices.

This first ruling was set aside in February 2002 after Egypt's highest appeals court found the original court's decision to be flawed on six counts. During the second trial, Egyptian law only permitted the defense to address procedural grounds. Defense lawyers argued that the court had ignored several aspects of their testimony, including evidence from Awad El-Mor, a former judge of the Supreme Court, who challenged the constitutionality of the 1992 military decree that made it illegal for Egyptian organizations to accept foreign money without government permission. The defense had also presented testimony from Khaled Fayad, who had originally accused Dr. Ibrahim of embezzling the funds from the European Union. Fayad testified that he had been pressured by security forces into making the false allegations. The European Union had also submitted an affidavit, restating its position that none of the $250,000 in grants had been misused. The second trial ended on 29 July 2002 with a second guilty verdict and Dr. Ibrahim's lawyers filed an appeal.

The 3 December ruling provides for a third trial, which is scheduled to begin on 7 January 2003. During this trial, Egyptian law will allow Dr. Ibrahim's defense lawyers to address the substance of the case. Although it is far from clear what the outcome of this trial will be, defense lawyers maintain that they have enough evidence to convince a court that the charges against Dr. Ibrahim are baseless and that he should be acquitted.

Dr. Ibrahim was greeted by several of his colleagues as he was released from Tora prison in Cairo. His wife Barbara stated, "It's a wonderful day for me, for my husband, for Egyptians and justice in this country." Her immediate concern is for her husband's health. Dr. Ibrahim suffers from a neurological disorder that prevents sufficient oxygen from reaching his brain. He also broke his leg while in prison earlier this year and now walks with a cane.

The AAAS Science and Human Rights Program will honor Dr. Ibrahim at its annual Human Rights Reception in February 2003. The reception is an opportunity for the scientific community to honor a scientist, who through action and example has supported human rights. The reception will be held during the AAAS Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado.

(Sources of information include: the Associated Press and Deutsche Presse-Agentur.)

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

No further action is requested at this time. Many thanks to those who sent letters of appeal. More information on the retrial will be sent out on the AAASHRAN listserv and posted to the website as it becomes available.

Please send copies of your appeals, and any responses you may receive, or direct any questions you may have to Victoria Baxter, AAAS Science and Human Rights Program, 1200 New York Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20005; tel. 202-326-6797; email vbaxter@aaas.org; or fax 202-289-4950.

The keys to effective appeals are to be courteous and respectful, accurate and precise, impartial in approach, and as specific as possible regarding the alleged violation and the international human rights standards and instruments that apply to the situation. Reference to your scientific organization and professional affiliation is always helpful.

To ensure that appeals are current and credible, please do not continue to write appeals on this case after 90 days from the date of the posting unless an update has been issued.

To verify the contents of this alert and/or the electronic signature, please download the signed file for this alert along with the Program's PGP Public Key.

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