Rights groups condemn trial of Egyptian activist

Ibrahim was convicted of embezzlement and tarnishing Egypt's image

CAIRO, Egypt (CNN) -- Dissidence in Egypt has never been exactly glorified. But until Monday, neither had it been particularly vilified.

But the seven-year jail term for Saad Eddin Ibrahim has unnerved some human rights groups.

Ibrahim, who has documented human-rights abuses and irregularities by the Egyptian government, was convicted of tarnishing Egypt's image, accepting unauthorized funds from abroad and embezzlement.

As shocking as the sentence itself was the speed at which it was delivered.

"Our defense finished its pleading yesterday, the judges left the room for one hour and came back in -- not to tell us when they would render a verdict, but to read out sentences," said Ibrahim's wife, Barbara. "This unprecedented in a case of this complexity.

The Egyptian government accused Ibrahim and 27 colleagues of spending European Union grant money to make a documentary accusing the government of widespread fraud in 1995. The 27 others received lesser sentences than did Ibrahim.

Barbara Ibrahim said that her 62-year-old husband believes "that Egypt is at a turning point.

"Egypt has to make a decision now," she said. "Part of this government wants to move toward democracy, toward plurality, to move toward democracy , and a global participation, but there are forces who are still back in the Cold War era, who operate under control and they don't want to lose the power they have."

Ibrahim was arrested last July at his job at the American University in Cairo, where he taught. He spent seven weeks in detention. He said he believed he was prosecuted because the Ibn Khaldun Center, which he founded, published reports accusing the government of rigging the 1995 parliamentary elections.

"We believe that the charges against Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim were politically motivated," said statement issued jointly by Amnesty International and the Human Rights Watch. "The trial falls in the context of a number of blows intended to muzzle civil society in Egypt."

Ibrahim's defense team is preparing a move for a new trial, but cannot do so until it receives all the information from the trial.

"We are currently waiting for the details of the case," The law give us 60 days to appeal the case.

Other human rights groups -- as well as the U.S. Embassy -- declared the initial trial "unfair."

"We are deeply troubled by the outcome and have some concerns about the process that resulted in the sentence," said an Embassy spokesman.

CNN's Ben Wedeman contributed to this report.