Egypt muzzles calls for democracy

[Kayla]

CAIRO - The atmosphere in Courtroom 5 was relaxed, even cordial, as Ashraf Ibrahim entered the defendants' cage. While a dozen black-bereted policemen looked on impassively, friends and relatives took turns chatting with the 35-year-old computer programmer, a political activist, who was dressed in a white prison jumpsuit. Some even posed for photographs. Men in grease-stained waiter's jackets navigated the packed room selling soft drinks and snacks, delivering Ibrahim a steaming glass of tea through a small hole gouged out of the steel mesh between the iron bars.

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Egyptian officials, who have always wielded a veto over which private organizations are allowed to receive U.S. aid, are unhappy about an American proposal to earmark $20 million for democratization. Mubarak, at a news conference, insisted that Egypt was the region's only real democratic state. "We do not need any pressure from anyone to adopt democratic principles," he declared.

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