Ibn Khaldun Center Sentenced

Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim, an internationally renowned sociologist and advocate of democracy and human rights, was sentenced in Egypt to seven years in prison on May 21, 2001. This trial, held in a court that falls far short of international legal standards, was clearly politically motivated - intended to muzzle civil society in Egypt. His 27 co-defendants, colleagues from the Ibn Khaldun Center for Developmental Studies and the League of Egyptian Women Voters (HODA), were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 1-5 years (some suspended). Eight defendants, including Nadia 'Abd al-Nur, Magda Al Bey, Mohammed Hassanein, Khaled al-Fayad, and Ussama Hisham Ali, remain in prison at this time.