The American aid worker who was sentenced to two years in an Egyptian prison earlier this month lashed out at the Obama administration on Monday for sacrificing him to a tyrannical regime for the sake of preserving diplomatic relations.
Robert Becker was found guilty on June 4 of illegally promoting democracy in Egypt. He was immediately sentenced to serve two years in prison, forcing him to hastily flee the nation just hours after the guilty verdict was read.
Becker, a former National Democratic Institute (NDI) employee, was one of 43 aid workers who were arrested at gunpoint 18 months ago by Egyptian officials during a "commando-style" raid on their offices.
While the six Americans arrested along with Becker sought sanctuary at the U.S. embassy and later fled the country at the urging of the State Department, Becker remained to face the trial in a show of solidarity with his Egyptian colleagues.
Now Becker is living in "exile" in Brussels, where he fled following a decision that would have sent him to an Egyptian prison camp for two years of hard labor.
Becker expressed anger at the U.S. government and embassy officials in Egypt for abandoning him, as well as the Egyptian reformers, for the sake of preserving diplomatic relations with the Muslim Brotherhood.
Not a single U.S. official met with Becker or contacted him after the other Americans fled in March 2012. He also has not had contact with any U.S. officials since fleeing.
There also is no indication that the United States intends to help Becker appeal the decision. The State Department did not respond to multiple requests for comment about his case.
"Quite frankly, it makes us look extremely weak that you could have an armed commando-style raid against U.S. organizations … and your only aggressive response was to evacuate the Americans and then a year an a half later" issue a statement condemning the decision, Becker said during an interview over Skype.
The Obama administration cared only about evacuating the Americans and forcing the issue out of the headlines, Becker alleged.
"Where’s the direct engagement with the [Egyptian] presidency on this?" he asked, directing his anger at Secretary of State John Kerry and U.S Ambassador to Egypt Anne Patterson.
Kerry slammed the court’s decision in a June 4 statement, calling it "incompatible with the transition to democracy." However, he did not outline any repercussions, such as a cut to the $1.3 billion in U.S. military aid recently sent to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Becker called this response unacceptable and accused the administration of shirking its responsibility to foster democracy and freedom in Egypt.
Egyptian "President [Mohamed] Morsi does have the legal authority to overturn these convictions or grant a pardon," Becker said. "I haven’t seen any effort out of the U.S. to move that along. News releases criticizing him from Washington are not going to help that cause."
"I’m a little pissed, quite frankly, there hasn’t been a high level delegation to Cairo already to have that conversation," he said.
The administration "decided after the plane left [Egypt with the other Americans in tow] to not engage and go quiet," said Becker, whose status on Skype read, "Exiled."
"My question is, ‘What does Egypt have to do to the U.S. to anger us?’ We’ve signed off on military aid twice now so you can’t use a carrot and stick approach when you given them a bushel," he said.
Patterson has remained completely silent about the case, even going out of her way to avoid speaking about it during a recent appearance at an Egyptian NGO.
Patterson made no mention of Becker’s plight during a June 18 speech at the Ibn Khaldun Center for Development Studies, according to her prepared remarks.
"I’m a bit stunned that the U.S. ambassador can step into the public arena less than two weeks after the verdict at an Egyptian NGO and not even talk about the verdict," Becker said.
Patterson is reportedly slated to become the administration’s next assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs. Sources said that this could explain her reluctance to ruffle feathers on Becker’s behalf.
"This started on her watch and ended on her watch," Becker said, noting that Patterson is not regarded by Egyptian reformers as a close ally. "She’s going to get a promotion? I don’t know what to think about it having never met her."
"I’m sort of furious at what [Patterson] didn’t say" during her speech, Becker added. "Where’s the outrage here? Where’s the action?"
While he acknowledged that the State Department is busy dealing with Syria and a wider Middle East in flux, he said, "I come from a country that should be able to do more than two or three things at once."
The European Union and the German government, on the other hand, have been very active on the issue, even contemplating rescinding their aid to Egypt.
Some in Congress have also taken up Becker’s case.
Reps. Gerald Connolly (D., Va.) and Frank Wolf (R., Va.) galvanized lawmakers to sign a sharply worded letter to Morsi demanding the "immediate dismissal" of all charges against the 43 aid workers.
Others urged the administration to reconsider its aid package to Egypt.
Once hopeful about the prospect of democracy in Egypt, Becker said it is now clear that Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood have no intention of acting as democratic reformers.
"This conviction was not based on law," he said. "It was based on petty politics that we’re all [imperialists] and colonists and Zionists. I entered this putting faith in the Egyptian court system. I leave this having none."
Egypt has devolved into "a country with no security and no law and they need to come to grips with the fact that they’re a failed state," he said.
Becker also recounted his last-minute escape from Egypt.
"I went to bed the night before with sort of a bad, bad feeling," he recalled. "That morning, I realized it wasn’t in my hands or the hands of the lawyers, but in the hands of the judge."
Becker packed a bag the night before, knowing he may have to flee with short notice.
"When I was certain the [convicted] Egyptians weren’t in any danger, … that’s when I realized I wasn’t interested in starting a two year sentence of hard labor for the crime of" promoting democracy," he said.
After a two-hour drive through Egypt’s notoriously cluttered streets, Becker arrived at the airport and hopped on the first flight to Europe.
While Becker can appeal his prison sentence, he would have to return to Egypt and enter prison in order to do so.
He does not currently see this as a viable option, meaning that Egypt is off limits for the foreseeable future.
"Two years in an Egyptian prison scares the hell out of me," Becker said, "but it would have been worse for me morally if they [the Egyptians] went to prison and I was sitting in the U.S. or Europe."