Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi hosted Libya’s eastern commander Khalifa Haftar and parliament speaker Aguila Saleh in Cairo on Tuesday, and stressed the need to hold national elections on time in December, according to a statement by the Egyptian presidency.
The Biden administration is expected to send a portion of the military aid to Egypt that lawmakers had conditioned on Cairo taking steps to improve its human rights record, in a compromise that has failed to appease activists and some Democrats who wanted Washington to take a tougher approach.
The United States will withhold $130m in security assistance to Egypt this year, releasing the funds only if the government of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi ends the prosecution of rights and civil society organisations.
Photos circulating of Aisha al-Shater, the daughter of a Muslim Brotherhood leader, have sparked concerns about her health among activists online.
The trial of Patrick George Zaki, a researcher and human rights advocate detained since early last year, has begun in Egypt.
Egypt extended the pre-trial imprisonment of a prominent activist by over a month on Monday. Alaa Abdel Fattah is to remain locked up for another 45 days while inquiries are made, Al-Masry Al-Youm reported.
Marsad Egypt Egyptian Security Sector Observatory