Biden Must Demand Freedom of Allah Abd El Fattah

Cairo――There is a dictator who wields absolute power in the world, and there is an American senator. In the most powerful country in the world, few people understand the power these he has 100 individuals. A single senator can block virtually any legislation. They don’t have to say why and often do it in complete secrecy. We also know that it takes every Democratic senator’s vote to pass an important budget bill during a lame duck session.

Democratic Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy is currently the longest-serving senator and will retire on January 2 after serving 48 years. He is a human rights advocate and created the “Leahy Act,” which denies US aid to regimes that violate human rights. Senator Leahy, or one of his colleagues, could make a big difference and save lives by blocking a bill in Congress that encourages human rights abuses by the government.

take egypt

US-backed Egyptian dictator Abdel Fattah El-Sisi came to power after a military coup in 2013. His image is ubiquitous throughout the buildings, lampposts and mass media of this sprawling capital of his 20 million people. controlled by the state. More than 60,000 political prisoners are held here. The true number is unknown. The most prominent figure is Alaa Abd El-Fatah, a writer, engineer and major activist in the 2011 Arab Spring revolution, and Egypt’s former longtime US-backed dictator Hosni. Overthrow Mubarak.

But Allah, who holds dual Egyptian and British citizenship, has spent most of the past decade in prison. His case gained global attention when Egypt hosted his COP27, the UN climate summit, in Sharm El Sheikh. Alaa said he had been on his hunger strike for over 200 days. When COP27 began on his November 6th, he escalated his protests and completely refused to drink water. Last week, Alaa told his family on his first prison visit in a month that he had a near-death experience that week. The German Chancellor, the French President, the British Chancellor, and President Biden have all appealed directly to Sisi. Prison authorities intervened undercover medically to avert the crisis his death at COP27 would have caused.

The Sisi regime has survived largely thanks to massive support from the United States. Egypt receives $1.3 billion in military aid annually, and she receives more than $125 million in economic aid. Egypt has long been the second largest recipient of US foreign aid, after Israel. That support is provided through the annual parliamentary budget, contingent on verifiable compliance with human rights standards. The US State Department, along with the Pentagon, is overseeing this massive aid package.

As part of this process, the State Department will be required to produce a human rights report on Egypt. Its latest 72-page horror streak includes extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture, and cruel and inhumane treatment. Life-threatening prison conditions and arbitrary detention. The list goes on. A reasonable reading of the report would lead to a denial of aid, but the State Department routinely calls for a waiver of “national security” and allows aid despite widespread abuse.

“You train their police officers and army officers,” said Allah’s mother, Laila Suif, a math professor and well-known activist herself. Democracy Now! Newshour during an interview at the family’s apartment in Cairo. Helicopters they use to track people in the desert, this is the United States. can decide.”

Alaa’s family has vigorously advocated for his release, even at great risk. His sister, Sanaa, 28, has already been jailed for three years, on charges of activism. “The United States has a stake in its regime, a stake in and responsibility for its repression,” Sanaa said. Democracy Now!, sitting next to her mother. “It’s not leverage. Leverage is like you’re not a stakeholder. You’re a big part of this. We send $1.3 billion in military aid to Egypt every year.”

President Biden was photographed with Sisi laughing with the dictator at COP27. Sisi is also invited to the US-Africa Summit at the White House next month. Like Western dictators seeking legitimacy, Sisi is reportedly seeking a one-on-one meeting with Biden.

President Biden should work toward the immediate release of Alaa Abd El Fattah and many other Egyptian political prisoners and allow Sisi a visit at the White House. Meanwhile, Senator Patrick Leahy, like other senators, should block further Egyptian military aid until Allah is free as one of his proud last acts in office. .

This column was originally Democracy Now!

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