Sherif Mansour, one of the American democracy workers accused of illegally operating political training programs in Egypt went back to Egypt on Sunday to face charges along with Egyptians who were left to stand trial in Cairo. Mansour was arrested at the airport. A hearing in the case is scheduled Tuesday and the trial could start next week.
Mansour, an Egyptian-born who this year became an American citizen, resigned Friday from the Washington-based organization Freedom House as his bosses disagreed with him about appearing to answer the charges in Cairo so he will appear as a private citizen. Mansour was interviewed by The Washington Post before leaving to Cairo. Consolidated excerpt below:
“People are left holding the bag in Egypt for something they have not done and for something that is not wrong ... The image that people have now of civil society is what has been published in the media about the case. It’s the photo of the Americans, the foreigners leaving the airport on a special jet, avoiding the trial ... By returning, I want to challenge that image.”The post is based on a story published on The Washington Post with updates and edits.
