Following the announcement that the U.S. will withhold military aid to Egypt until it addresses human rights concerns, Adotei Akwei, advocacy director at Amnesty International USA, made the following statement:
“It’s encouraging that the State Department is acknowledging the deteriorating state of human rights in Egypt and the grave implications for stability in the Middle East. However, the U.S. continues to transfer arms to Egypt that can be used to commit or facilitate human rights violations. Humvees, small arms, and tear gas provided by the U.S. are used to oppress critics of the Egyptian government and facilitate serious human rights violations like extra-judicial executions. To effectively make human rights a priority, these transfers must be suspended immediately.”