Egyptian-American activist Mohamed Soltan, who had been sentenced to life in prison in April, has been deported to the United States, Soltan’s family announced on Saturday.
Soltan, who had been on a partial hunger strike for 489 days, had been sentenced to prison on charges of supporting a terrorist group and transmitting false news.
In a statement, Soltan’s family thanked “the countless individuals who have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to secure his [Mohamed Soltan] release. To witness you all – regardless of race, religion, political affiliation, gender, age come together during this time has been greatly illustrative of the power of the human spirit and we are in awe of each and every one of you.”
“”After extensive efforts, the U.S. Government has successfully secured Mohamed’s deportation back home to the U.S., mercifully concluding this dark chapter for Mohamed and our family,” said Soltan’s family.
The statement also added that Soltan, who has spent “Several hundred days on hunger strike, and many months in solitary confinement,” will receive medical treatment “as soon as he arrives on U.S. soil and will spend the immediate future with his family recovering.”
Following Soltan’s imprisonment, the White House had released as statement condemning the conviction and urging Soltan’s “immediate release from prison.”
Soltan, 26, was arrested on August 25th 2013 in a raid that was intended to arrest his father and Muslim Brotherhood official Salah Soltan, who is among 14 other Muslim Brotherhood figures sentenced to death in April for “inciting chaos and violence.” The case became known as the “Rabaa operations room.”
It remains unclear whether Soltan gave up his Egyptian citizenship in order to be deported. However, according to Aswat Masriya, Soltan’s lawyer claims that the dual national revoked his Egyptian citizenship.
During his last court appearance, Soltan had declared he would not renounce his Egyptian nationality.
“I cannot be made to choose between my nationality and my freedom,” said Soltan while sitting on a wheel-chair that read ‘unbreakable’.
Soltan, whose health at one point had reached critical levels due to his hunger strike, also declared that he had no ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.
“I do not have any ideological, partisan, group, or sport affiliations…I reassure you, if I had any affiliations I would have announced it and held on to it with pride regardless of circumstances,” Soltan said in his statement on March 11.
In a poll run by Egyptian Streets in January, 71% of voters said Egypt’s President Al-Sisi should pardon or deport Mohamed Soltan.
Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, had pleaded with the Egyptian government to release Soltan.
Comments (37)
F**k this guy!!!
F**king politically correct human right liberal BS.
Have any of you f**king !diots defending him realise who he is, what he has done and the evidence against him? Of course not. You all focused on the fact that he was on hunger strike which according to your retarded logic means he’s automatically innocent. None of you even questioned the fact that it’s medically impossible for someone to go on hunger strike for 489 days.
He did nothing wrong and they have no evidence (because there is none). Stop trying to ruin Egyptian’s lives.
He was caught in an operating room filled with documents that connect him to terror attacks. His father is also a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. Nonetheless that is for the court to decide, not you or the media.
“Soltan, 26, was arrested on August 25th 2013 in a raid that was intended to arrest his father and Muslim Brotherhood official Salah Soltan”
1) He was captured in his home.
2) The Egyptian courts aren’t a source of justice. They’re a political tool to attack Egyptians.
His father was the main target but that doesn’t mean Salah was not wanted. Hence why he was arrested.
1) His home was the base of operations for managing and organizing their followers.
2) Typical Egyptian mentality “no justice in Egypt because I didn’t get what I wanted”. If any of you inbred imbeciles actually researched any of the cases in the past year and had basic intellect in understand the law, you would see that the reputation for Egyptian justice is greatly inaccurate.
Just recently, one of the AJ journalists admitted that his employer was providing equipment to the MB and fabricating news by organizing fake demonstrations (www{dot}youtube{dot}com/watch?v=yOtgjrPmJtY). Yet people such as yourself claim they are innocent and that Egypt’s justice system is corrupt.
You claim that the court system in Egypt is politclised yet you fail to see that they go agenst Sisi’s wishes. (www{dot}csmonitor{dot}com/World/Middle-East/2015/0508/Why-Egypt-s-conservative-judiciary-doesn-t-always-do-Sisi-s-bidding)
“Typical Egyptian mentality” often means “I accept anything the state and their media toadies say at face value.”
Where are these “documents?” Have they been published? Of course not.
I note you are again using Israeli propaganda sources to support your views. “Pallywood” refers to Israeli claims the Palestinians are faking being killed.
Except for the fact that he’s a member of the Muslim brotherhood just like his father who was one of the main leaders.
liberal BS?!?! this has nothing to with liberalism or anything bro. This guy is innocent and why are you still so gullible to listen to everything that the Egyptian government tells you?
The guy was arrested for calibrating with the Muslim Brotherhood while managing and organizing demonstrations which he was caught doing red handed. I’m not gullible, I research everything and make up my own mind.
In any of your research did you actually come across the word calibrating?
whats the problem with collaborating with the MB to organize demonstrations to support Morsi? dont get me wrong I dont like morsi but if people want to organize protest to voice their concerns then let them.If im not mistaken this court is the very same court that prosecutes anyone who speaks bad about Islam and apparently they arrests atheists as well. So yea thats some just Court.
In Egypt, the MB are classified as a terrorists organisation. Collaborating with the group is no different then collaborating with Al-Qaeda. When I say “demonstrations” and “operations” I am referring to attacks on security forces, recruitment and other illegal activates which he is accused of. The guy could have defended himself in a court of law but instead chose to be a cowered and go on a “hunger strike” for “489 days”.
Why are they “classified?” By what legitimate authority were they “classified?”
The truth is the putschists who illegally overthrew the elected government and put the elected president and scores of elected members of the last parliament in jail just decided to “classify” the MB as “terrorists.”
^^ #salafi
Oh, he’s definitely a salafi.
Gee, I don’t know maybe by the current motherf**king goverment currently ruling the country.
Not to mention almost every other state in the region with the exception of Qatar.
Eat a d1ck
These people believe he went on a 489 day long hunger strike. Don’t waste your time on them.
anyone who is against the military and the bloody generals inc. pharaoh sisi is a terrorist. Tomorrow when the revolution starts again, you will understand.
the cc(clan) and his military crew are the real terrorists, but tomorrow you will understand, you stupid little cc’s army boot licking girl.
He isn’t innocent. His father is one of the leaders of the Muslim brotherhood. He was aiding the group in any way he can by funding them and calling for the deaths of security forces.
when those same security forces were killing jailing and torturing egyptians who opposed military rule for 60 years you missed that and then you are surprised why your country is a failed state ! keep loving the generals they will nuture you like they did the last 60 years ! you have no sympahy only for yourself while millions of egyptians are sufferiing needlessly at the incompetent hands of the regime !
YES I agree. People who say he is innocent don’t know anything.
also whither or not he is on hunger strike he should still be in jail. you don’t release rapist and murders let alone terrorists just because they are on hunger strike.
Yeah, I highly doubt that he was innocent. It is very unlikely for us to know the truth behind all of this but his father was a high ranking member of the Muslim brotherhood and he did support the Muslim brotherhood. After all, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.