Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email
Please enter a valid email address
Please enter a valid email address
SIGN UP
I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice
Thanks for signing up to the
Inside Washington email
{{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }}
Nine senior Senate Democrats and independent Sen. Bernie Sanders urged the Biden administration Friday to withhold part of the United States' annual military aid to Egypt for a third consecutive year, calling it important to keep up the pressure on President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi on human rights abuses.
More than 20 leading U.S. and international rights groups and think tanks separately made the same appeal, arguing that the U.S. practice of holding back some aid was leading Sissi to make “limited, albeit insufficient ” rights improvements in Egypt.
About a quarter of a $1.3 billion appropriation is at issue.
The request may be especially tough this year for President Joe Biden, who is focusing on keeping countries around the world, including Egypt, aligned behind Ukraine as it battles Russia's globally destabilizing invasion. Neither the State Department nor the Egyptian embassy in Washington immediately responded to requests for comment Friday.
The letters from senators and advocates to Secretary of State Antony Blinken serve as an opening round in Democratic lawmakers' annual battle to trim aid funding as a way to pressure Sissi's government to curb rights abuses.
Recommended Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide
The State Department's annual human rights report has repeatedly faulted Egypt, even as an important strategic ally in the region, for extrajudicial killings and torture, detention of thousands of writers, reporters, advocates and other political prisoners, suppression of news media and other abuses.
The Washington Post, citing secret U.S. documents leaked online by a Massachusetts Air National Guard member, reported in April that U.S. officials had talked Egypt out of secretly providing rockets to Russia. Egypt agreed instead to provide the United States with artillery rounds for transfer for Ukraine, the Post reported, citing another leaked document.
Congress in recent years has made the U.S. payment of roughly $300 million of U.S. military aid contingent on Egypt’s government showing progress on rights, although the State Department can partially override that, on national security grounds.
Promoted stories
Ascott Star Rewards
Book direct to get up to 35% savings on stays with additional SGD20* offAscott Star Rewards
Undo
by Taboola by Taboola
Sponsored Links Sponsored Links
Promoted Links Promoted Links
While shared U.S.-Egyptian security objectives make it important for the U.S. to continue supporting Egypt’s military in general, the senators argued, “we can continue to support these objectives while enforcing the law to withhold $320 million in military aid to Egypt due to a lack of necessary progress on human rights.”
Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Richard Durbin of Illinois, Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin of Maryland, Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Tim Kaine of Virginia and Tom Carper of Delaware signed the letter.
“As the administration’s decision to withhold a portion of Egypt’s $1.3 billion appropriation for each of the last two years demonstrates, the bilateral security relationship can be effectively sustained at a reduced level of assistance while upholding our values,” the senators wrote.
The administration is expected to make a decision on the matter next month, although the legal deadline is Sept. 30.
Recommended African leaders arrive in Russia for summit with Putin, as Kremlin seeks allies in Ukraine war 1 crew member killed in a fire on a cargo ship carrying nearly 3,000 cars in the North Sea Al Jazeera condemns Egypt's decision to add some of its journalists to a terrorism blacklist
Egypt’s jailing and silencing of critics have drawn international condemnation and are points of friction between the North African country and the West. That includes the United States, the Egyptian military's most generous supporter.
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, PEN International and other rights groups and think tanks in the other letter Friday credited the Biden administration's financial pressure with helping persuade Egypt to free more than 1,000 political detainees. At the same time, rights advocates say, Egypt has detained nearly 5,000 others, and renewed pretrial detentions of thousands more.
More about Egypt AP United States Joe Biden Bernie Sanders Senate Democrats Washington Antony Blinken State Department Russia Ukraine Chris Murphy Washington Post Congress Amnesty International Human Rights Watch Massachusetts Connecticut Maryland
1/ 1Fellow Democrats urge Biden to withhold $320 million in military aid to Egypt over rights abuses
Fellow Democrats urge Biden to withhold $320 million in military aid to Egypt over rights abuses Congress Egypt
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Promoted stories
PanzerQuest
If you have a mouse, this game will keep you awake all night long.PanzerQuest| Sponsored Sponsored
Undo
investing.com
Greta Thunberg's Car Shocks The World, Proof In Picturesinvesting.com| Sponsored Sponsored
Undo
Next Level Options Masterclass
Learning To Invest With This Community Allows Me To Travel Any Time To AnywhereNext Level Options Masterclass| Sponsored Sponsored
Learn More
Undo
？ Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Subscribe
Already subscribed? Log in