Cairo: Saad Eddin Ibrahim will remain in the US despite having a two-year prison sentence overturned because there are still other cases pending against him.
A court overturned last Monday a conviction and two-year prison sentence for “defaming the image of Egypt abroad.
“Obviously Saad and I and our whole family are delighted to have this case overturned, his wife Barbara Ibrahim told Daily News Egypt, “having said that, there are at least six other investigations still ongoing. So until those are resolved we have decided that he will stay.
Head of the Ibn Khaldun Center, Ibrahim has long called for democratic reform in Egypt. It is believed that his influence led the US Congress to freeze $100 million of aid to Egypt, which incurred the wrath of the regime.
“We knew the outcome in the sense that the trial had irregularities in both procedure and substance, Barbara Ibrahim said, “There were a lot of delays in this case, so one assumes that there is a reason for the timing of this appeal.
US President Barack Obama is due to arrive in Egypt next week, to make a speech in which he means to address the Muslim world. Ibrahim had been against the choice of Cairo for Obama’s speech.
The other cases against Ibrahim are known as Hisba cases, when they are brought by a private citizen on behalf of the public interest. Efforts are underway to bring an end to Hisba cases, with a decision already in place to ban such cases for religious matters.
“The point is we want him to be safe, we feel that the sheer number of cases suggest a campaign against him, Barbara Ibrahim said.
