American Student Released After 486 Days In Egyptian Prison

The release of Mohamed Amashah, a dual Egyptian-American citizen from Jersey City, New Jersey, followed months of pressure from the Trump administration, according to the Freedom Initiative group, which advocated on his behalf.

citizen Mohamed Amashah from Egyptian custody, and thank Egypt for its cooperation in his repatriation,” the State Department said.

Like thousands of political prisoners in Egypt, Amashah, 24, had been held in pre-trial detention on charges of “misusing social media” and “aiding a terrorist group,” according to the Freedom Initiative.

In March, as the coronavirus spread in Egypt and raised the specter of unchecked contagion in the country’s crowded prisons, Amashah and fellow inmates began a hunger strike to protest their unjust imprisonment, the Freedom Initiative said.

“No one wanted to take the risk of another Kassem,” said Mohamed Soltan, founder of the Freedom Initiative.