Last Friday, Donald Trump cordially invited one of his citizens back to the United States. The president introduced Aya Hijazi back into the country. He sought after the philanthropy specialist’s discharge from Egypt's prison system. He spoke strongly of this during his meeting with Egypt's leader a few weeks ago. The Trump administration engaged in political endeavors off camera to obtain her freedom. Their undisclosed actions come after past efforts from the Obama administration failed to achieve her prison release.
On Tuesday, Egypt discharged Hijazi from one of their correctional facilities after detaining her for almost three years.
The nation convicted her on multiple charges including human trafficking. Trump advisers stated that the president had explicitly demanded her prison release during his conference earlier this month with Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Trump made the request in secrecy. He intentionally made no honorable mentions or public announcements regarding her situation.
Hijazi and Trump greet one another in Washington
Hijazi, 30, took a seat alongside President Trump in the White House. They engaged in a conference that included Dina Powell, Jared Kushner, and Ivanka Trump. Powell accompanied Hijazi back home to the U.S. on a general military aircraft last Thursday. Trump refused to comment on inquiries regarding her sentence.
Instead, he stated during the briefing, "We are incredibly ecstatic to know Hijazi is back here in the U.S. It's an incredible privilege to meet with her at the White House with her sibling, Basel."
Sean Spicer took upon himself to stress how Trump seemed to figure out how to obtain Hijazi's discharge effortlessly. The White House Press Secretary emphatically mentioned that this occurred after Obama’s attempts had failed.
He's leaving it to the public to examine the distinctive procedures Trump implemented on this mission. He wants them to analyze further why the president was successful, and Barack Obama wasn’t. American critics originally blamed the former U.S. president for her unattained release. They believed it was due to his administration having a lack of interest in her case.
The painful past between Egypt and Aya
Hijazi is Egyptian but has always held citizenship as a U.S. resident. On Sunday, the federal courts of Cairo cleared the humanitarian of all charges she accrued. Egypt arrested Hijazi and several other people for assisting homeless children living on the streets throughout the city.
During the time of her conviction, Hijazi established Belady. The non-profit organization intentionally had no government affiliations. It is a movement aimed at giving Egypt's transient children the opportunity to have a more prosperous life.
The remarkable woman sat in prison for nearly three years because of her organization. Federal prosecutors claim she infringed upon the laws of Egypt.
However, the country's federal regulations express only two years as the maximum time frame their government can detain someone awaiting trial.
The Trump administration mentioned during the meeting with Hijazi that federal authorities in the U.S. quickly acknowledged their intentions to bring Egypt to release Hijazi. They noted America addressed her situation shortly after Donald Trump was inaugurated back in January.
Egypt to fix human rights history
The Egyptian government ousted Mohamed Morsi from his political seat in 2013. Since then, Fattah al-Sisi got serious about addressing his nation’s resistance. He also wants to seek justice in the murders of several Muslim Brotherhood supporters.
He augmented his political circle to incorporate liberal and mainstream activists so everyone dedicated to the cause can have the chance to participate in releasing thousands of innocent people, like Hijazi, from Egyptian imprisonment.
Senators Lindsey Graham and John McCain have also approached the Egyptian government to find more ways to enhance the country’s policies on human rights.
In a media announcement, the two Republicans stated, "Both of us encourage Egypt’s federal government to further expand on its initial, most critical step towards better policies on human rights. The nation needs to release all individuals detained unlawfully. It has to maintain its global commitments to human rights. Egypt must honor its citizen’s rights to express themselves freely while under the rules of the law.”
