US senators call on Biden administration to withhold $320m in aid over Egypt’s ‘deteriorating’ human rights record. I'm pleased to join @ChrisMurphyCT in urging @SecBlinken to withhold some Foreign Military Financing funds from Egypt until it can improve its human rights record. The US State Department’s annual report on human rights in Egypt also documented the government’s use of extrajudicial executions and torture, as well as the imprisonment of thousands of writers and human rights advocates. The US sends $1.3bn in military assistance to Egypt each year, and in 2021, under pressure from lawmakers in Congress, the Biden administration announced it was cancelling $130m of that aid due to human rights concerns. “The Egyptian government’s actions in recent months demonstrate that it has not halted its repression campaign or delivered on commitments to meaningfully improve the human rights situation,” the groups, which included Human Rights Watch and Project on Middle East Democracy, said.

Source: The North Africa Journal July 28, 2023 21:09 UTC