Egypt police raid U.S.-backed pro-democracy groups
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 organizations, 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 U.S.-based International Republican Institute (IRI) and National Democratic Institute (NDI), a security source and employees at the organizations said.
The U.S. State Department said the raids were “inconsistent with the bilateral cooperation we have had over many years” and urged Egyptian authorities to immediately halt “harassment” of non-governmental organization 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,” 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.”
Nuland said U.S. officials had been in touch with Egyptian Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri and with Egypt’s ambassador to Washington to underscore Washington’s concern.
Germany’s Foreign Ministry said it would summon Egypt’s ambassador to Berlin on Friday after the raid targeted the German-based Konrad Adenauer Foundation, which is close to Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats.