This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/09/egypt-ngos-hafsa-halawa-ndi
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Meet the woman who risked jail in Egypt to fight against NGOs crackdown | Meet the woman who risked jail in Egypt to fight against NGOs crackdown |
| (4 months later) | |
| Early last February, 26-year-old Hafsa Halawa was visiting her sister in the UK when she finally found out what she had dreaded for weeks. Back in Egypt, where Halawa worked as an election observer, she had been sent to trial – along with 42 other democracy advocates – ostensibly for being employed by a foreign NGO that had not been properly registered. | Early last February, 26-year-old Hafsa Halawa was visiting her sister in the UK when she finally found out what she had dreaded for weeks. Back in Egypt, where Halawa worked as an election observer, she had been sent to trial – along with 42 other democracy advocates – ostensibly for being employed by a foreign NGO that had not been properly registered. |
| British-born, raised in Plymouth, and the daughter of a retired NHS surgeon, Halawa could have stayed put; the charge was clearly politicised. The 43 had taught parliamentary candidates how to campaign, or monitored poll counts. But that day investigators claimed they were foreign spies, and sought to jail them on an administrative technicality. Previously an MP had called for them to be executed. Under earlier interrogation, Halawa herself had been accused of flouting the Geneva conventions. | British-born, raised in Plymouth, and the daughter of a retired NHS surgeon, Halawa could have stayed put; the charge was clearly politicised. The 43 had taught parliamentary candidates how to campaign, or monitored poll counts. But that day investigators claimed they were foreign spies, and sought to jail them on an administrative technicality. Previously an MP had called for them to be executed. Under earlier interrogation, Halawa herself had been accused of flouting the Geneva conventions. |
| That day in February 2012, Halawa had a choice: she could stay safely in Britain, or – being half-Egyptian and fiercely patriotic – return to Egypt to face the possibility of jail. Her mother, whose own father had fled death threats in Saddam Hussein's Iraq, told her to stay. Family friends, who had been jailed under Mubarak, agreed. "Everyone said: 'stay, stay, stay'," she remembered this week. "Don't you dare come back." | That day in February 2012, Halawa had a choice: she could stay safely in Britain, or – being half-Egyptian and fiercely patriotic – return to Egypt to face the possibility of jail. Her mother, whose own father had fled death threats in Saddam Hussein's Iraq, told her to stay. Family friends, who had been jailed under Mubarak, agreed. "Everyone said: 'stay, stay, stay'," she remembered this week. "Don't you dare come back." |
| But she came back. "I was very adamant that: no, I was employed as an Egyptian, so I'll be investigated and interrogated as an Egyptian," said Halawa. "Plus, I hadn't done anything wrong. Even if this went the whole way, it seemed impossible that I'd be found guilty." | But she came back. "I was very adamant that: no, I was employed as an Egyptian, so I'll be investigated and interrogated as an Egyptian," said Halawa. "Plus, I hadn't done anything wrong. Even if this went the whole way, it seemed impossible that I'd be found guilty." |
| But last week, after an 18-month trial, Halawa was sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for three years. It was not quite what Halawa had expected in mid-2011, when she left law school in Britain to help rebuild post-revolutionary Egypt. After joining the National Democratic Institute (NDI, an NGO that promotes the democratic process), she spent the next six months training Egypt's new political parties, and leading poll observers in southern Egypt. | But last week, after an 18-month trial, Halawa was sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for three years. It was not quite what Halawa had expected in mid-2011, when she left law school in Britain to help rebuild post-revolutionary Egypt. After joining the National Democratic Institute (NDI, an NGO that promotes the democratic process), she spent the next six months training Egypt's new political parties, and leading poll observers in southern Egypt. |
| On 29 December, she was preparing to return to Cairo, and called a colleague at head office. "She said: there's a lot of police outside, let me call you back. She never did." | On 29 December, she was preparing to return to Cairo, and called a colleague at head office. "She said: there's a lot of police outside, let me call you back. She never did." |
| At that moment, dozens of armed police had burst into NDI's headquarters – along with those of 17 other Cairo NGOs – and over the next six hours seized files and computers. Earlier that year, the US government had paid grants worth $65m directly to the NGOs concerned – circumventing the relevant Cairo authorities. Furious and suspicious, an Egyptian minister retaliated with the raids and, later, the trial. | At that moment, dozens of armed police had burst into NDI's headquarters – along with those of 17 other Cairo NGOs – and over the next six hours seized files and computers. Earlier that year, the US government had paid grants worth $65m directly to the NGOs concerned – circumventing the relevant Cairo authorities. Furious and suspicious, an Egyptian minister retaliated with the raids and, later, the trial. |
| The case was considered so politicised that, within weeks, all but two of the 28 foreign-born defendants had left the country on a US military plane after their governments paid bail money. Halawa was one of the two who stayed. The other was NDI's Robert Becker, a former Democratic campaigner, who felt that the remaining Egyptian defendants would be forgotten if the Americans all left. | The case was considered so politicised that, within weeks, all but two of the 28 foreign-born defendants had left the country on a US military plane after their governments paid bail money. Halawa was one of the two who stayed. The other was NDI's Robert Becker, a former Democratic campaigner, who felt that the remaining Egyptian defendants would be forgotten if the Americans all left. |
| Becker was fired by NDI a few days later. And while Halawa and her Egyptian colleagues remained on the payroll, it was hard to find new work. With NDI on her CV, no similar group dared employ her. But despite family advice, she remains in Egypt to fight on. | Becker was fired by NDI a few days later. And while Halawa and her Egyptian colleagues remained on the payroll, it was hard to find new work. With NDI on her CV, no similar group dared employ her. But despite family advice, she remains in Egypt to fight on. |
| "Hafsa and the other Egyptians that I shared a cage with for 18 months are some of the most courageous people I've ever seen," said Becker, who escaped to Italy only once he had finally been sentenced to jail last Tuesday. "She certainly could have left. She cares deeply about the future direction of her country, and I applaud her for staying." | "Hafsa and the other Egyptians that I shared a cage with for 18 months are some of the most courageous people I've ever seen," said Becker, who escaped to Italy only once he had finally been sentenced to jail last Tuesday. "She certainly could have left. She cares deeply about the future direction of her country, and I applaud her for staying." |
| For the moment, Halawa and her fellow defendants are still jobless and in limbo while they decide whether and how to appeal. But in the meantime, they have an even greater concern: a new NGO law, currently passing through Egypt's senate, that may be even harsher than the one she was convicted under. | For the moment, Halawa and her fellow defendants are still jobless and in limbo while they decide whether and how to appeal. But in the meantime, they have an even greater concern: a new NGO law, currently passing through Egypt's senate, that may be even harsher than the one she was convicted under. |
| As the new law stands, foreign NGOs will have to be approved by an opaque state committee, a measure that may discourage foreign NGOs from engaging in Egypt. Just as seriously, any local NGOs that receive foreign funding may have to seek time-consuming approval for each overseas donation – a clause thought to be aimed at hindering Egyptian human rights groups, almost all of whom rely exclusively on foreign aid. | As the new law stands, foreign NGOs will have to be approved by an opaque state committee, a measure that may discourage foreign NGOs from engaging in Egypt. Just as seriously, any local NGOs that receive foreign funding may have to seek time-consuming approval for each overseas donation – a clause thought to be aimed at hindering Egyptian human rights groups, almost all of whom rely exclusively on foreign aid. |
| Halawa's trial was instigated under the military junta, while it is the new Islamist administration that is now pushing the draconian new NGO law. But both measures stem from the same suspicion of outside involvement in Egyptian affairs. | Halawa's trial was instigated under the military junta, while it is the new Islamist administration that is now pushing the draconian new NGO law. But both measures stem from the same suspicion of outside involvement in Egyptian affairs. |
| "The verdict and the law go hand in hand," said Christoph Wilcke, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at Transparency International, an NGO that campaigns against political corruption, and which is now rethinking how best to open an Egyptian office. | "The verdict and the law go hand in hand," said Christoph Wilcke, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at Transparency International, an NGO that campaigns against political corruption, and which is now rethinking how best to open an Egyptian office. |
| "We'd like to work with [Egypt], but there isn't going to be an awful lot of Egyptian funding for this kind of enterprise – so we're initially going to rely on international donors. And this verdict makes it quite clear that foreign funding for advocacy-related enterprises is not welcome." | "We'd like to work with [Egypt], but there isn't going to be an awful lot of Egyptian funding for this kind of enterprise – so we're initially going to rely on international donors. And this verdict makes it quite clear that foreign funding for advocacy-related enterprises is not welcome." |
| • This article was amended on 10 June 2013 to clarify the circumstances in which the 26 foreign-born defendants left Egypt. It was further amended on 13 June 2013 to further clarify those circumstances. | • This article was amended on 10 June 2013 to clarify the circumstances in which the 26 foreign-born defendants left Egypt. It was further amended on 13 June 2013 to further clarify those circumstances. |
| Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. | Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. |