The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
September 14, 2021

U.S. to Withhold 10% of $1.3 Billion in Military Aid to Egypt, Citing Human Rights
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Biden administration said Monday it will withhold about 10% of the
$1.3 billion in military aid the U.S. gives annually to Egypt, citing
concerns over human rights violations. Nearly $1.2 billion of military
assistance will continue to flow to Egypt despite serious allegations of
human rights abuses against the government of dictator and U.S. ally
Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

This comes as advocates are sounding the alarm on the worsening
conditions faced by Egyptian activist and blogger Alaa Abd El-Fattah,
who was returned to prison in 2019 just six months after being freed
following a five-year sentence. El-Fattah reportedly told Egyptian
media, "My situation is horrible and I won't be able to continue like
this. Get me out of this prison, I will kill myself." El-Fattah was a
key leader in Egypt's 2011 uprising.


.