"While we recognize that every American administration must, to some extent, deal with so-called "Friendly Tyrants" as they pursue America's complex interests abroad, we nonetheless believe that we betray both our values and our interests when we give authoritarian regimes a "free pass" on their outrageous abuses of human rights. This is particularly true in the case of a country like Egypt which has been the recipient of vast sums of foreign aid from the United States for over 4 decades. We must use our leverage with the Egyptian government to encourage greater respect for international human rights and the fundamental principles of rule of law. A good place to begin would be by demanding that the Egyptian government release the American prisoners it is holding. Human rights organizations, congressional leaders, and legal experts have all agreed that individuals like Aya Hijazi have been unfairly targeted with outrageous and false charges. It is time for our government to stand up and demand their release."
