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...
by PRI | Aug 24, 2017 | Arrest and Detention, Case Studies, Latest News
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, sent a letter urging President Trump to keep the pressure on Egypt for its human rights violations following the administration’s decision to deny Egypt foreign aid and delay military funding. In the letter, Chairman McCain urges President Trump to continue advocating for those Egyptians, Americans, and organizations fighting for democracy and freedom in Egypt. Chairman McCain also released the following statement: “I believe it was the appropriate course of action for the administration to deny Egypt $96 million in aid and delay $195 million in military funding due to concerns over its human rights record. Now, President Trump must continue to advocate for the Egyptian people, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and American citizens who have been unjustly indicted or sentenced to prison without due process. “As Chairman of the International Republican Institute (IRI), I am especially concerned about the members of the NGOs indicted by the Government of Egypt for peacefully working on behalf of democratic reform, including IRI, the National Democratic Institute (NDI), Freedom House, the International Center for Journalists, and the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Foundation. President Trump must also demand the immediate release of the nearly 20 American citizens wrongly imprisoned in Egypt, including Ahmed Etwiy and Mustafa Kassem, who have been detained on false allegations, jailed for four years without sentencing and are scheduled to stand trial Monday. As the United States continues to work with Egypt to fight terrorism, President Trump must make every effort to convince the Egyptian government to uphold its international commitments on human rights and respect the democratic aspirations of its people.” The letter is below. Dear...
by PRI | Apr 28, 2015 | Case Studies, Pretrial Rights
On Tuesday, the US Senate will commence what may prove to be a monumental foreign policy debate as it considers legislation to provide for Congressional review and oversight of agreements relating to Iran’s nuclear program. Among a number of amendments already filed are several intended to promote the release of US citizens currently detained in Iran. While it is unclear whether such an amendment will be included in the bill — which represents a hard-fought, delicate compromise between the Administration and both Republicans and Democrats in Congress — the amendments will at least serve to shed light on the issue of pretrial detention in Iran, and hopefully, will contribute to the potential release of Americans unlawfully detained there. One of those American detainees, Jason Rezaian, is a Washington Post reporter who has been in pretrial detention for the last 9 months. The Iranian Revolutionary Court has never publicly disclosed the charges against him, and there has yet to be a date set for trial. He has reportedly been denied treatment and was only granted access to his attorney in the last week. At the end of his speech at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner this weekend, President Obama asserted that his Administration would not rest until Mr. Rezaian is freed to return home. Regardless of the fate of well-intentioned Senate amendments advocating for the release of Americans detained in Iran, we are encouraged by the attention and commitment offered by both branches of government, and we hope they continue to work together to secure Mr. Rezaian’s...