by PRI | Sep 20, 2017 | Arrest and Detention, Latest News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Julie Tarallo or Samantha Hiller Wednesday, September 20, 2017 (202) 224-7130 STATEMENT BY SASC CHAIRMAN JOHN McCAIN ON MASS TRIAL IN EGYPT Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement today on the mass trial in Egypt in which hundreds of people were unjustly sentenced to prison, including American citizen Ahmed Etiwy: “While it was encouraging to see the acquittal of Ibrahim Halawa, hundreds of other innocent people were unjustly sentenced in a mass trial involving 494 defendants, including American citizen Ahmed Etiwy. The trial defied any judicial precedent and reveals significant deficiencies of rule of law in Egypt. It is time for the Egyptian Judiciary to restore its reputation as an independent, non-politicized branch of government and either retry each of the defendants in line with international due process standards or commute their sentences. “Nearly 20 American citizens, NGO workers, and thousands of Egyptian dissidents remain behind bars under a deeply restrictive anti-protest law that infringes on internationally recognized rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association. This is part of a troubling crackdown on civil society and independent voices across Egypt that threatens to undermine Egypt’s long-term security and stability. Congress should strengthen democratic benchmarks and human rights conditions on U.S. assistance for Egypt in order to hold the Government of Egypt accountable for its human rights violations.”...
by PRI | Sep 18, 2017 | Arrest and Detention, Case Studies, Latest News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, September 18, 2017 Contact: Jaime Horn; 917-523-0705 Jaime@NewHeightsCommunications.com Citizens Wrongfully Imprisoned in Egypt Sentenced Egyptian Court sentences American and Solah Soltan WASHINGTON (Monday, September 18, 2017) – Today, Freedom First, and Pretrial Rights International, both nonpartisan human rights groups based in Washington D.C., that aim to highlight the suffering of tens of thousands of prisoners in Egypt released the following statement regarding today’s hearing concerning the fate of two men who have been imprisoned in Egypt since 2013: “We are heartbroken by the court’s verdict for Ahmed Etiwy,” said Praveen Madhiraju of Pretrial Rights. “He is a college student, convicted for protesting at a protest that he never attended. Having already served more than 80% of his sentence, he should be released immediately and pardoned. President Trump is meeting with President Sisi this week in New York. We urge him to put these Americans first. Not President Sisi.” “My father, Salah Soltan, was sentenced to life in prison for giving a sermon where he asked protestors to disperse, respect the curfew and governmental institutions,” said Mohamed Soltan of Freedom First.“His case has always been politicized because of who he is, not what he did. This is Sisi’s Egypt.” Both groups expressed their joy for Ibrahim Halawa’s acquittal and urged the Egyptian government to release him immediately. Ahmed Etiwy, 27 of New York was arrested with two relatives after dropping his grandfather off at a bus station outside the Al-Fath mosque. Ibrahim Halawa, 21, was arrested with three of his sisters during...
by PRI | Sep 16, 2017 | Arrest and Detention, Case Studies, Latest News
Egypt’s Regime Has Held An American Student For Four Years. He May Soon Know His Fate. While the violent authoritarianism of Egypt’s president has complicated relations with Western allies, President Trump has developed a close bond with him. By Akbar Shahid Ahmed A 27-year-old U.S. citizen who has spent more than four years in Egyptian custody on dramatic murder and terrorism charges is expected to receive a verdict Monday in his mass trial with almost 500 other people ― a moment his advocates say could be make-or-break. The case underscores how complicated Washington’s relationship with the world’s largest Arab country remains as the U.S.-supported government engages in what rights groups call the worst wave of repression in modern Egyptian history. Egyptian military officers arrested Ahmed Etwiy on Aug. 17, 2013, during a security operation targeting political protesters, according to his family and American attorney Praveen Madhiraju. Authorities held him at a military facility and then a massive prison complex for over three years before a trial began. Etwiy was not even involved in the protests, his defenders maintain. Then a 23-year-old student at the German University in Cairo, he was in the area to escort his grandfather to a bus depot. But the events of that summer in 2013, when the army aligned with street movements to overthrow Egypt’s first democratically-elected president, and the policies of general-turned-president Abdel Fattah Al Sisi since have embroiled thousands of innocent people, leaving international watchdogs, activists, experts and officials with little hope of progress or accountability. Earlier this month, Italy returned its ambassador to Cairo following more than a year of controversy over the Sisi government’s suspected...