2023-09-13 21:22:41
A US Senator said, on Wednesday, that the United States decided to withhold military aid to Egypt worth $85 million due to Cairo’s failure to release a sufficient number of political prisoners, and urged the withholding of another $235 million.
Two other sources familiar with the matter said that $85 million had been withheld, and a decision on the other amount, $235 million, was expected soon.
Neither the US State Department nor the Egyptian Embassy immediately responded to requests for comment, according to Archyde.com.
“The administration made the right decision to withhold the first tranche – $85 million linked to the release of political prisoners – because there is no doubt that not enough progress has been made,” Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said on the Senate floor.
Murphy added, “I would urge the administration to finish the job and withhold the entire amount of $320 million… until Egypt’s record on human rights and democracy improves.”
Human rights organizations have repeatedly accused Egypt of committing widespread human rights violations under the rule of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, including torture and enforced disappearance.
Previously, Sisi denied the presence of political prisoners in Egypt, saying that stability and security were of paramount importance and that the authorities were promoting rights by trying to meet basic needs for jobs and housing.
For decades, the United States has provided Egypt with approximately $1.3 billion annually in foreign military financing to purchase weapons systems and services from American military contractors. This aid came largely as a result of the 1979 Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty.
Over the past ten years or so, the US Congress has made some aid subject to human rights conditions.
Under US law, the $85 million is conditional on Egypt making “clear and sustained progress in releasing political prisoners, providing due process to detainees, and preventing intimidation and harassment of American citizens.”
The executive authority cannot waive these conditions.
Another $235 million is conditional on Egypt fulfilling the requirements of democracy and human rights. However, the executive branch can waive these conditions if it assures Congress that doing so is in the interest of US national security.
There is another loophole regarding the amount of $235 million, which might be provided to Egypt if it is allocated to “counter-terrorism programs, border security, and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons in Egypt.”
Last year, Washington authorized the full amount of $75 million, which was then conditional on progress regarding political arrests, noting that progress had been made, including the release of regarding 500 people.
It also allowed another $95 million to be sent to Egypt within the framework of an exception related to combating terrorism, border security, and nuclear non-proliferation.
As a result, last year it provided $170 million out of a total of $300 million in military aid subject to human rights conditions, while withholding $130 million, the same amount it decided to withhold the previous year.
Seth Binder of the Middle East Democracy Project said that the $85 million withheld “represents a significant decline from last year.”
He added, “But if the administration withholds (an amount) less than what it withheld in the past two years, it is in fact telling Sisi that it believes that the Egyptian government has improved its human rights record, and this is not true.”
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