CAIRO – Egyptian prosecutors and police raided offices of 17 pro-democracy and human rights groups on Thursday, drawing criticism from the United States which hinted it could review its $1.3 billion in annual military aid.
The official Mena news agency said the groups had been searched in an investigation into foreign funding.
“The public prosecutor has searched 17 civil society organisations, local and foreign, as part of the foreign funding case,” Mena cited the prosecutor’s office as saying. “The search is based on evidence showing violation of Egyptian laws including not having permits.”
Among groups targeted were the local offices of the US-based International Republican Institute and National Democratic Institute, a security source and employees at the organisations said.
The US state department said the raids were “inconsistent with the bilateral co-operation we have had over many years” and urged Egyptian authorities to immediately halt “harassment” of non-governmental organisation staff.
State department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland indicated to a news briefing that military aid could be difficult to push through Congress if the situation did not improve.
“We do have a number of new reporting and transparency requirements on funding to Egypt that we have to make to Congress,” Ms Nuland said. “The Egyptian government is well aware of that and it certainly needs to be aware of that in the context of how quickly this issue gets resolved.”
Civil society groups, a driving force behind the protests that toppled Hosni Mubarak in February, have become increasingly vocal in criticising what they call the army’s heavy-handed tactics in dealing with street unrest. – (Reuters)