the same US organizations in anti-Chavez opposition activities surrounding the coup attempts there.
There seems to be little detail in the western reporting in the Egyptian charges. The most in-depth report I found in a quick look around is this from today's WSJ: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203315804577211192264939270.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
In describing their evidence, most of which came from raids on the NGO offices in late December, the judges seemed to allude to a well-worn Egyptian conspiracy theory, often peddled by populist politicians, that the U.S. hopes to stoke sectarian conflict in Egypt as a prelude to an armed invasion. The justices said they had found maps of Egypt marked with four divisions—a thinly veiled reference to supposed American plans to divide the country into competing religious and ethnic fiefdoms.
"It is our view that these people have not done anything wrong, that they have been endeavoring to demonstrate that by cooperating with judicial authorities," said Ms. Nuland. "Even in the Mubarak times, we wanted to have these groups register, and they have been denied registration. So from that perspective, there is something more going on here than a purely judicial process."
American NGO workers in Egypt, six of whom prosecutors have banned from leaving the country, said they used the maps to plan monitoring missions during parliamentary elections late last year. One foreign NGO had also sought help from a local organization to launch a Web page listing the number and locations of churches, as well as identifying army deployments and installations throughout the country, the judges said. Judge Abu Zeid said the website plans pointed to political activities outside the NGOs' mandate.
This from BBC:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16896018
Nineteen Americans are among those standing trial.
They are accused of "setting up branches of international organisations in Egypt without a license from the Egyptian government" and of "receiving illegal foreign funding," AFP news agency reports.
Barricade erected by protesters facing riot police near Cairo's Tahrir Square on 5 February 2012 Egypt's ruling military has been criticised for its handling of the protests
The son of US Transport Secretary Ray LaHood is believed to be among those facing criminal charges. Sam LaHood heads the Egyptian office of the International Republican Institute (IRI) and was among several foreign workers banned from leaving Egypt just over a week ago.
The IRI and the National Democratic Institute (NDI), loosely associated with the US Republican and Democratic parties, were among 17 US-based and local foreign-funded groups whose offices were raided by prosecutors in late December. Egyptian prosecutors said at the time they were acting on evidence suggesting some groups were violating Egyptian laws, including by not having permits.
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