Egypt Begins Trial of Democracy Activists

The trial of dozens of democracy activists, including 16 Americans, begins Sunday in Egypt in a step that threatens to ratchet up tensions between Washington and Cairo and risks the $1.3 billion in annual U.S. military aid to Egypt. The 43, who include the son of the U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, are accused of receiving illegal funds from abroad and carrying out political activities unrelated to their civil society work. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr twice last week in a bid to defuse the crisis. Human rights activists assert that Egypt’s ruling generals are using the trial to repress pro-democracy groups, which have been among their harshest critics.  It was unclear whether all of the accused – who are banned from leaving Egypt pending trial – would appear. Many of them were already abroad when they were ordered not to leave the country and some of those who remained in Egypt have taken refuge in the U.S. embassy in Cairo.