Usa: “Cairo has not satisfied all our demands on human rights”. No State Department comment on Regeni and Zaki cases
“Cairo has made significant progress on some aspects relating to human rights but has not met all requests.” Thus a spokesman for the US State Department explained to La Stampa the decision of the US administration to sanction the Egyptian government for violations of human rights. The reference – according to US media – is to activities of the power apparatus of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for the repression of dissent which, especially towards the political Islam of the Muslim Brotherhood, would violate human rights. The State Department is in fact oriented to confirm the blockade of 130 million dollars of assistance to the security of Egypt. The importance of the most populous Arab country for the stability of North Africa and the Middle East, however, pushes Washington to leave in the budget most of this aid, which annually amounts to 1.3 billion dollars, and to allow purchases of weapons “made in the USA. “from the Egyptian side for even greater amounts.
The news, which the New York Times gave a preview, was confirmed to La Stampa by a spokesperson for Foggy Bottom who was asked if the decision has somehow to do with the murder of Giulio Regeni and the Patrick Zaki’s remand. “As you know, the Secretary had decided in September not to release $ 130 million in the 2020 financial year of the FMF (the fund for military funding to foreign governments) unless Egypt had met a series of rights requests. human beings by January 30, which we communicated privately to the Egyptian government – the spokesman said – The deadline for meeting these conditions will expire soon. The GOE (Egyptian government) has made significant progress on the conditions, but to date it has not met all of them ”. In essence, Egypt was asked to do more to protect the rights of dissidents, journalists, women and members of civil society.
Since then, however, Cairo has evidently failed to comply with the list of conditions set by the US in this field and has therefore not convinced US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to lift the blockade. “Therefore, after January 30, the Secretary intends to reschedule the 130 million dollars towards other national security priorities”, concludes the spokesman, explaining that he has “no further details to share at this time”. Military aid to Cairo had already been frozen in 2017 by then President Donald Trump, but released the following year. In 2013 Barack Obama, another Democratic White House head like Biden, had held back hundreds of millions for two years to sanction the then General Sisi who had ridden the square in order to bring down the Islamist President Mohamed Morsi, later killing a thousands of his riotous supporters.
The US State Department’s annual report released in March cited numerous examples of abuses by government security forces including extrajudicial executions, kidnappings, torture and pre-trial detention. These include the murder of Giulio Regeni and the incarceration of Patrick Zaki, placed on bail after 22 months in prison and awaiting the next hearing, on February 1, of the trial that sees him accused of “spreading false news” . Egypt remains a “precious partner” of the US on “many fronts”, including mediations between Israel and Hamas and above all in terms of counter-terrorism in a region highly exposed to infiltrations. As a result, Cairo almost always has the way cleared for the purchase of billions of dollars in US planes, ships and other military equipment.
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