American Student Detained In Egyptian Prison For Nearly 500 Days Set Free, Returns To US

KEY POINTS

Mohamed Amashah was arrested after he was seen protesting in Cairo’s Tahrir Square for the release of political prisoners
Protesting is banned in Egypt since 2013 when President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi led a military coalition to oust Egypt’s then-president Mohamed Morsi
His release came after U.S. authorities raised concerns over the spread of coronavirus in Egyptian prisons

An American medical student who spent 486 days in an Egyptian prison without trial was set free and returned to the United States on Monday, the U.S. State Department said.

The release of Mohamed Amashah, a dual Egyptian-American citizenship holder from Jersey City, New Jersey, came after months of pressure from the Trump administration, according to the Freedom Initiative group, which advocated for his release.

"We welcome the release of U.S. citizen Mohamed Amashah from Egyptian custody, and thank Egypt for its cooperation in his repatriation," the State Department said in a statement.

Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, who is also the chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he personally raised the issue of “unjustly detained Americans” with Egypt’s foreign ministry last week.

Amashah, 24, was arrested in March 2019 on charges of “misusing social media” and “aiding a terrorist group” after he publicly demanded the release of political prisoners in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, the epicenter of Egypt’s 2011 Arab Spring Uprising, Fox News reported.

Protesting is an illegal activity in Egypt since 2013 when the then-army chief Abdel Fattah el-Sissi facilitated the military’s removal of Mohamed Morsi from power amid mass protests.

Amashah was sent to Cairo’s Tora prison after his arrest, where he was held in pre-trial detention for a period of 16 months. He reportedly had to let go of his Egyptian citizenship in exchange for his release.

In March, there were reports about coronavirus spreading rapidly in Tora prison as human rights groups slammed the authorities for not conducting adequate tests in the crowded prisons with poor levels of hygiene.

The U.S. authorities demanded the release of Amashah, who suffers from asthma and an autoimmune disease, after his health declined during his prison stay amid the pandemic. A bipartisan group of senators had also called on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to demand the immediate release of American detainees, including Amashah.

In the statement, Freedom Initiative said the move is a "welcomed progress and a step forward in the right direction."