Egypt foreign funding trial postponed

Egypt's trial of employees of pro-democracy groups accused of illegally receiving foreign funds has been postponed to next month to hear government officials testify, and it will be closed to the media, one of the defendants said Tuesday.

The trial, which began in late February, was the culmination of the worst and most public spat between Washington and Cairo in decades.

Closed-door negotiations to avert a crisis ended with most of the American defendants being allowed to leave when a travel ban was lifted in March, but the trial of Egyptian defendants and one American who elected to remain behind continues.

Another Egyptian-American dual national defendant returned to observe the trial and was detained Sunday at Cairo airport. But the court ordered former Freedom House employee Sherif Mansour, who appeared at the court Tuesday wearing handcuffs, to be freed until the verdict. A German defendant also joined the case on Tuesday.

Some 43 defendants, including 16 Americans, face charges of operating groups and receiving funds without permits. Only 17 defendants appeared in courts Tuesday.