After Brunson, Congress demands Egypt release US prisoner
Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., says he won’t release $105 million in US military aid unless Cairo releases Egyptian-American Moustafa Kassem.
The top Democrat on the Senate’s spending panel will continue to hold up $105 million in US military aid to Egypt until Cairo shows progress toward releasing an Egyptian-American detained during a military crackdown five years ago.
Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, wants the State Department to get an update from Egypt on 53-year-old Moustafa Kassem before the assistance is released. Kassem, a former New York cab driver, was swept up in mass arrests as President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi took power in 2013.
Egyptian authorities sentenced Kassem to 15 years in prison in September for allegedly attempting to overthrow Sisi’s government in a mass trial that included 700 defendants. Kassem, who suffers from diabetes, recently began a hunger strike.
"The senator will decide about releasing his hold on the funds depending on the response of the Egyptians,” a Leahy aide told Al-Monitor. “Based on the information we have received, his case should be considered in connection with any decision.”
