(Reuters) Egyptian prosecutors and police raided offices of 17 pro-democracy and human rights groups on Thursday - including several funded by the U.S. - in what rights defenders described as a campaign against them by the military rulers. Egypt's military, which itself accepts $1.3 billion a year in U.S. aid, has vowed to investigate how pro-democracy and human rights organizations are funded and has said repeatedly it will not tolerate foreign interference in the country's affairs. Among groups targeted were the local offices of the U.S.-based International Republican Institute (IRI) and National Democratic Institute (NDI). The NDI and IRI, which are loosely associated with the U.S. Democratic and Republican political parties and receive U.S. government funding, say they foster democracy in Egypt by training members of nascent parties in democratic processes.
2011-12-30 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive