Washington – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Chairman of the International Development and Foreign Assistance Subcommittee, expressed his outrage over the latest developments in Egypt and he issued the following statement:

“I find today’s news about the Egyptian government’s decision to prosecute American and local NGO workers totally unacceptable.  These organizations, which have supported Egyptian citizens’ own struggle for representative democracy and freedom, have been targeted by those in the holdover regime who fear change. 

“When I heard that these organizations were not allowed to register, and then had their offices sealed during the course of an “investigation” by the regime, I wrote to the regime leaders urging them to stop this dangerous behavior.  Instead, they have escalated, and some of those individuals most committed to Egyptian freedom, including several prominent Americans, are not allowed to leave the country, and are facing criminal charges.

“This is not the way an ally should be treated.  I believe that we should re-evaluate the status of our bilateral relationship during this transition period.”

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