SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.)—seen here speaking on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on May 4, 2022—is leading a letter calling on the Biden administration to withhold $320 million in military aid to Egypt.
(Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
US Senators Join Rights Groups in Urging Biden to Withhold Egypt Military Aid
The lawmakers assert that Egypt's government "has not only failed to investigate allegations of human rights abuses, it has also continued to commit 'significant human rights' violations."
Jul 29, 2023
Echoing calls from nearly two dozen advocacy groups, 11 U.S. senators on Friday urged the Biden administration to withhold hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid from Egypt "absent improvements on human rights" in a nation where thousands of dissidents are imprisoned and almost all forms of political opposition have been crushed.
The senators—who include 10 Democrats and independent Bernie Sanders of Vermont—sent a letter led by Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) to Secretary of State Antony Blinken citing Egypt's deteriorating human rights situation while calling on the administration to withhold $320 million in U.S. military assistance.
The U.S. government conditions the bulk of that aid on Egypt taking "sustained and effective steps" to:
- Strengthen the rule of law and democratic institutions and protect women and religious minorities;
- Protect fundamental freedoms, including the ability of NGOs and media to operate freely;
- Hold security forces accountable when they violate human rights;
- Investigate and prosecute cases of extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances; and
- Provide regular access to U.S. officials to areas where U.S. assistance is used.
"Over the past year, the Egyptian government's track record on these criteria has not improved," the senators' letter asserts. "Ahead of presidential elections scheduled next year, the Egyptian government has detained supporters and family members of a challenger who intends to run against President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The government has forced NGOs to register under a draconian law that prohibits any activities it deems political."
The letter adds that Egypt's government "has not only failed to investigate allegations of human rights abuses, it has also continued to commit 'significant human rights' violations such as extrajudicial killings; enforced disappearance; torture and life-threatening prison conditions; and severe restrictions on freedoms of expression, assembly, and association as documented in the State Department's latest human rights report."
The lawmakers' letter came on the same day that 23 human rights and civil society groups also implored the Biden administration to withhold the $320 million in military aid, accusing Egypt of perpetrating a "merciless crackdown on the press, political opposition, and civil society."
"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 include Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Democracy for the Arab World Now, and Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED)—said in a letter.
"Pressure works," POMED tweeted Friday. "Over the past two years, the administration's decision to reprogram some of the conditioned military aid to Egypt has led its government to take limited, albeit insufficient, steps to address U.S. concerns—without undermining the bilateral relationship."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
democracy for the arab world nowchris murphybiden administrationhuman rightsantony blinkenu.s. senateegypthuman rights watchamnesty internationalbernie sandersabdel fattah el-sisi
Echoing calls from nearly two dozen advocacy groups, 11 U.S. senators on Friday urged the Biden administration to withhold hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid from Egypt "absent improvements on human rights" in a nation where thousands of dissidents are imprisoned and almost all forms of political opposition have been crushed.
The senators—who include 10 Democrats and independent Bernie Sanders of Vermont—sent a letter led by Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) to Secretary of State Antony Blinken citing Egypt's deteriorating human rights situation while calling on the administration to withhold $320 million in U.S. military assistance.
The U.S. government conditions the bulk of that aid on Egypt taking "sustained and effective steps" to:
- Strengthen the rule of law and democratic institutions and protect women and religious minorities;
- Protect fundamental freedoms, including the ability of NGOs and media to operate freely;
- Hold security forces accountable when they violate human rights;
- Investigate and prosecute cases of extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances; and
- Provide regular access to U.S. officials to areas where U.S. assistance is used.
"Over the past year, the Egyptian government's track record on these criteria has not improved," the senators' letter asserts. "Ahead of presidential elections scheduled next year, the Egyptian government has detained supporters and family members of a challenger who intends to run against President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The government has forced NGOs to register under a draconian law that prohibits any activities it deems political."
The letter adds that Egypt's government "has not only failed to investigate allegations of human rights abuses, it has also continued to commit 'significant human rights' violations such as extrajudicial killings; enforced disappearance; torture and life-threatening prison conditions; and severe restrictions on freedoms of expression, assembly, and association as documented in the State Department's latest human rights report."
The lawmakers' letter came on the same day that 23 human rights and civil society groups also implored the Biden administration to withhold the $320 million in military aid, accusing Egypt of perpetrating a "merciless crackdown on the press, political opposition, and civil society."
"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 include Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Democracy for the Arab World Now, and Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED)—said in a letter.
"Pressure works," POMED tweeted Friday. "Over the past two years, the administration's decision to reprogram some of the conditioned military aid to Egypt has led its government to take limited, albeit insufficient, steps to address U.S. concerns—without undermining the bilateral relationship."
From Your Site Articles
- Profits Trump Blood as US Aid Undeterred by Egypt Massacre ›
- Naomi Klein Spotlights Perils of UN Climate Summit Hosted by Despotic Egyptian Regime ›
- 10 Years After Egypt Massacre, US Breaking Promise to Defend Human Rights: Report ›
- Opinion | The US Must Stand For Democracy in the Middle East | Common Dreams ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Echoing calls from nearly two dozen advocacy groups, 11 U.S. senators on Friday urged the Biden administration to withhold hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid from Egypt "absent improvements on human rights" in a nation where thousands of dissidents are imprisoned and almost all forms of political opposition have been crushed.
The senators—who include 10 Democrats and independent Bernie Sanders of Vermont—sent a letter led by Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) to Secretary of State Antony Blinken citing Egypt's deteriorating human rights situation while calling on the administration to withhold $320 million in U.S. military assistance.
The U.S. government conditions the bulk of that aid on Egypt taking "sustained and effective steps" to:
- Strengthen the rule of law and democratic institutions and protect women and religious minorities;
- Protect fundamental freedoms, including the ability of NGOs and media to operate freely;
- Hold security forces accountable when they violate human rights;
- Investigate and prosecute cases of extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances; and
- Provide regular access to U.S. officials to areas where U.S. assistance is used.
"Over the past year, the Egyptian government's track record on these criteria has not improved," the senators' letter asserts. "Ahead of presidential elections scheduled next year, the Egyptian government has detained supporters and family members of a challenger who intends to run against President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The government has forced NGOs to register under a draconian law that prohibits any activities it deems political."
The letter adds that Egypt's government "has not only failed to investigate allegations of human rights abuses, it has also continued to commit 'significant human rights' violations such as extrajudicial killings; enforced disappearance; torture and life-threatening prison conditions; and severe restrictions on freedoms of expression, assembly, and association as documented in the State Department's latest human rights report."
The lawmakers' letter came on the same day that 23 human rights and civil society groups also implored the Biden administration to withhold the $320 million in military aid, accusing Egypt of perpetrating a "merciless crackdown on the press, political opposition, and civil society."
"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 include Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Democracy for the Arab World Now, and Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED)—said in a letter.
"Pressure works," POMED tweeted Friday. "Over the past two years, the administration's decision to reprogram some of the conditioned military aid to Egypt has led its government to take limited, albeit insufficient, steps to address U.S. concerns—without undermining the bilateral relationship."
From Your Site Articles
- Profits Trump Blood as US Aid Undeterred by Egypt Massacre ›
- Naomi Klein Spotlights Perils of UN Climate Summit Hosted by Despotic Egyptian Regime ›
- 10 Years After Egypt Massacre, US Breaking Promise to Defend Human Rights: Report ›
- Opinion | The US Must Stand For Democracy in the Middle East | Common Dreams ›
Related Articles Around the Web
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.