Former International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei criticized on Thursday what he called “intervention in judiciary work” in the trial of NGO employees.
On his Twitter account, ElBaradei wrote that regardless of the circumstances surrounding the case, intervening in judicial matters kills democracy.
The three presiding judges recused themselves Tuesday from the trial of 43 foreign and Egyptian NGO employees accused of illegaly receiving funds and carrying out political work unrelated to their civil society organizations. The withdrawal was the result of military pressure, Al-Arabiya news channel reported, citing an anonymous source close to one of the judges.
The US, which is pressuring Egypt to dismiss the case, and has threatened to cut aid, said Wednesday it believes the situation will be resolved soon.
“I’m confident the US aid problem was politically resolved," Islamist presidential hopeful Mohamed Selim al-Awa said Wednesday, during an interview on the Islamic satellite channel Al-Nas TV.
“If these organizations had received illegal funding, they should have been convicted. If they hadn’t received any, they should have been acquitted. The new president who will come in three months should know the circumstances of the case," he said, adding, “I wish the problem hadn’t been solved this way.”
Awa called on the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to be "courageous" and declare any benefits that Egypt will receive as a result of resolving the NGOs case out of court.
Judge Mohamed Shoukry, who stepped down from the trial, told the privately owned channel Al-Nahar that he received a request from the team defending the American suspects to lift their travel ban. He claimed that the request was illegal as the suspects didn’t attend the trial session and the defense team is not authorized to submit requests.
In another talk show aired on Al-Hayat TV channel, Shoukry denied any political or personal reasons for asking to be removed from the trial. He also added that he would explain his reasons in a memorandum and submit a copy to the Supreme Judicial Council.
Abdel Moez Ibrahim, head of the court of appeal, said Thursday that he asked Shoukry to step down after learning that Shoukry’s son is working for an American legal consultant office affiliated with US Embassy in Cairo. Shoukry earlier denied any connection between his son’s business and the reasons behind his recusal.
