During their meeting on the sidelines of the 71st session of the UN General Assembly, US Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton called for the release of Egyptian-American Aya Hegazy (also spelled as Higazi). “Secretary Clinton emphasized the importance of respect for rule of law and human rights to Egypt’s future progress,” said Clinton’s campaign in a press release. “Secretary Clinton called for the release of U.S. citizen Aya Hijazi and raised concerns about prosecution of Egyptian human rights organizations and activists.” It is unclear whether President Sisi commented on the case during his meeting with Clinton. However, in an interview with Charlie Rose, Sisi responded to a question related to the case stating that Egypt has to “obey the legal framework in [the] country”. “We must respect the rule of law,” said Sisi when Rose stated that Hegazy “is not a threat to Egypt’s security” and “not a terrorist”. Hegazy and her husband Mohamed Hassanein have been detained for around 28 months, passing the two-year legal term in the Egyptian penal code. Hegazy and Hassanein were arrested three months into operating their NGO, Belady, which served children in street conditions. They face charges of human trafficking, abduction, inciting…
Hillary Clinton Asks Egypt’s President Sisi to Release Aya Hijazi
September 20, 2016
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