Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy blamed a crackdown on independent journalism in Egypt on the Trump administration's decision to waive human rights conditions on US military funding to the country, saying this week the two were clearly linked.
Murphy, who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, spoke at the Middle East Institute in Washington. "The minute that money was released, the crackdown began in an absolutely devastating way," he said. He accused the US government of abandoning the Egyptian people after it lifted restrictions tied to more than $300 million in defence assistance.
The BBC reported that over the past month, journalists at two of Egypt's few remaining independent news outlets have been arrested. On Tuesday, a court in Cairo ordered the closure of the news website Madr Masr and fined its editor-in-chief, Lina Attalah. Amnesty International called the verdict "a crushing blow to press freedom."
Earlier this month, authorities arrested six journalists at the fact-checking platform Matsda2sh and charged them with belonging to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.
The US State Department told the BBC it waived conditions on a portion of military aid in September because of Egypt's "importance to US national security interests." It cited the "concrete security cooperation Egypt provides to the United States" and said it maintains dialogue with Cairo on a "full range of issues" but would "not comment on private diplomatic conversations."
Secretary of State Marco Rubio waived human rights conditions on $320 million of the aid, according to a letter sent to congressional committees. A Sept. 4 memo bearing his signature, seen by Reuters, called the waiver "essential" given Egypt's "helpful role following Operation Epic Fury." Egypt assisted negotiations between the US and Iran.
US law allows up to $320 million of the roughly $1.3 billion in annual aid to be withheld unless Egypt meets democracy and human rights requirements, but the administration can waive the conditions on national security grounds. A similar waiver was issued in 2024 under President Joe Biden.
Murphy, who chairs a congressional committee on the Middle East and counterterrorism, said he has criticized both administrations. "To the extent that there was any glimmer left of political speech in Egypt, it is gone for one proximate reason: The United States government abandoned the people of Egypt and decided to remove all conditions on our funding," he said.
Timothy E. Kaldas, deputy director of the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, said the Attalah conviction and the Madr Masr closure marked an unprecedented escalation in repression of press freedom in Egypt. He said the US and European Union have prioritized strategic ties over human rights.
The Egyptian Embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment from the BBC. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has denied there are political prisoners in Egypt.
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