June 16, 2021

Today, twelve men who had been sentenced to death in 2018, including leaders of the 2011 pro-democracy movement, had their death sentences upheld. These men were convicted of alleged crimes relating to their participation in peaceful sit-ins in Raba’a Square opposing the military coup of 2013—protests that ended in the regime’s massacre of hundreds of protesters.  Six of the twelve were arrested prior to the Raba’a massacre, making it impossible for them to be guilty of the charges of which they were convicted. Another, Mohamed Beltagy, is a former parliament member and political rival of President Al-Sisi. All appealed their sentences. Today, their final appeals were denied.

Every Western nation, every major human rights organization, has called the violence against protesters in Raba’a Square a massacre. President Al-Sisi alone defiantly promotes a false narrative in which peaceful political protesters are dangerous terrorists. This false version of the facts is essential to Al-Sisi’s claim to legitimacy. Otherwise, his presidency was birthed in the blood of innocents. By focusing on reprisals for events that happened eight years ago, Al-Sisi appears to be distracting the Egyptian people from focusing on the crisis that waits at Egypt’s doorstep: the Grand Ethiopian Dam. Egyptians should be uniting to stop the filling of this dam, which threatens the very existence of the Egyptian state.

In the strongest possible way, Egyptians Abroad for Democracy condemns these convictions and the executions that are soon to follow. But we hear nothing from the United States.  This silence breaks our hearts! We fundraised and campaigned for President Biden. We believed him when he said that human rights are his top priority. But in today’s upheld death sentences, we see the tragic and real consequences of Biden not standing up to dictators.

When Biden was first sworn in, it was clear that Al-Sisi was afraid of Biden, and didn’t want to misstep. But now Al-Sisi acts with impunity because he has learned that Biden will not retaliate. The U.S. State Department’s human rights report for Egypt contains page after page of the most egregious human rights violations. Despite this report, despite the violence that Al-Sisi continues to perpetrate against his own people, the United States keeps sending money to Egypt.

What leverage does Al-Sisi have over Biden? Why is Biden silent no matter what Al-Sisi does? Trump’s favorite dictator appears to have become Biden’s favorite dictator. President Biden must condemn, as we do, Al-Sisi’s ruthless violence against his political opponents. President Biden must return to his campaign pledge of “No more blank checks for Trump’s favourite dictator,” by cutting off Al-Sisi from the $1.3 billion in military aid that Egypt receives annually from the U.S.

Egyptians Abroad for Democracy calls for suspending these death sentences and the immediate release of all political prisoners.

Sincerely,

Organizations:

EGYPTIANS ABROAD FOR DEMOCRACY

INTERNATIONAL ACTION CENTER

CODE PINK

Progrress DEMOCRATS OF THE SANTA MONICA MOUNTINGS

Human RIGHTS MONITOR

BE MAGAZINE

GANDHI GLOBAL CENTER FOR PEACE

Anthony Bryson of C.O.R.E Movement

Egyptians Coordination of Rights and Freedoms

EGYPTIAN AMERICANS FOR DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY

Sincerely,

Individuals:

Noam Chomsky,
Institute Professor (emeritus) MIT, USA

Lauren Cundick Petersen, Esq.
Immigration & International Human Rights Attorney, USA

Missy Crutchfield
Co-Founder, Gandhi Global Centre For Peace, USA

Melissa Turner
Co-Founder / Editor-in-Chief
BeMagazine.org, USA

Medea Benjamin
cofounder CodePink, USA

Norman Gary Finkelstein
American political scientist, activist, former professor and author, USA

Kevin Barrett
Muslim-Jewish-Christian Alliance

Mahmoud Wahba
Former professor of Economics at CUNY turned Businessman

Dr. Abdul Mawgoud Dardery
an Egyptian parliamentarian who is a spokesperson for the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice party,

Sara Flounders,
Co-Director, International Action Centre

Jackie Ross
Independent International Human Rights Advocate & Asylum Coordinator, USA

Mohamed Ismail
Director, Egyptians Abroad for Democracy Worldwide
Founder, Egypt’s Hope Party

Mohamed Shoubair
Egyptians Abroad for Democracy, USA

Fisal M Hammouda
Egyptians Abroad for Democracy, USA

Maissa Abdelatif
Egyptians Abroad for Democracy, UK

Yousreya Abdel Hamid Khalil PhD.
Egyptians Abroad for Democracy, USA

Mohamed Abdelrehim
Journalist
Egyptians Abroad for Democracy, Turkey

Salah El Doby
Egyptians Abroad for Democracy, Switzerland

Mona Elshazly, Engineer
Human rights activist
Egyptians Abroad For Democracy, UK

Abeer Omar
Assistant professor Trent university,
Egyptians Abroad For Democracy, Canada

Mohamed Abdelhalim
Egyptians Abroad for Democracy, UK

Asmaa EL Serafy
Human rights activist
Egyptians Abroad for Democracy, Turkey

Sherif Elgendy M.D.
Egyptians Abroad for Democracy, USA

Ghada Naguib
Human rights and political activist
Egyptians Abroad for Democracy, Turkey

Nancy kamal Abdelhamed Aly
Egyptians Abroad for Democracy, Germany

Ahmed Saad
Human rights and political activist
Egyptians Abroad for Democracy, Sweden

Adham Hasanin
Egyptian Journalist, Netherlands

Gamal Gouda El Sayed
Egyptians Abroad for Democracy, Canada

Rasha Wegdan
Egyptians Abroad for Democracy, USA

Mamdouh Kelaid
Research Scientist
Egyptians Abroad for Democracy, USA

Sameh Farag
Egyptians Abroad for Democracy, Canada

Ihab Ghobrial
Egyptians Abroad for Democracy, USA

Dr. Amin Mahmoud
Centre for Egyptian American Relations, USA

Dr. Yasser Shalaby
Political activist
Egyptians Abroad for Democracy, USA

Ahmed Saleh, PhD
Centre of Egyptian American Relations, USA

Abdallah Sherif Farrag
Egyptians Abroad for Democracy,
England, United Kingdom

Dina El Henawy
Social media influencer & Human rights activist, Canada

Heba Hassa
Human rights defender
Manager of Egyptian Coordination of rights and Feedoms, Turkey

Muhammad Kamal
Research assistant DAWN, Turkey

Bahgat Elsagher
Human Rights Advocate, Egyptian Democracy, USA

Samir Saikali
Giving voice to voiceless, USA

Dr. Dardery A. R.
President of CEAD
www.ceadusa.org, USA

Reem Desouky
Translator, Lancaster PA, USA

Amr Ayad
Architect, England

Said Abass
Coordinator- Egyptians Americans For Democracy and Human Rights
NY/NJ

Abdurrahman Ezz
Egyptian Journalist

Salma Ashraf
Director, Human Rights Monitor

Mohamed Ibrahim
Center for Egyptian American Relations

Walaa shehata
Teacher / Dallas / Tx

Ruba Qewa
3D Madeler Animator Developer /Dallas/TX

Mohamed ElSadeek
A human Cares for humanity, Canada

Asmaa Shokr
Journalist, Human rights activist and political activist
New Zealand

Osama Rushdi
Former member of the national Councel for human rights in Egypt