>>> ONE OF THE FIRST FOREIGN
POLICY ISSUES THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION WILL FACE
INVOLVES EGYPT.
IT IS THE SECOND LARGEST
RECIPIENT OF FOREIGN ASSISTANCE
FROM THE UNITED STATES, GETTING
$1.4 BILLION FOR THIS FISCAL
YEAR.
IT HAD A COMFORTABLE
RELATIONSHIP WITH PRESIDENT
TRUMP.
"THE WALL STREET JOURNAL" SAID
HE JOKINGLY CALLED EGYPTS
PRESIDENT HIS FAVORITE DICTATOR.
TONY BLINKEN IS ALREADY AT ODDS
WITH EGYPT, VOICING CONCERNS
ABOUT A CRACKDOWN ON A HUMAN
RIGHTS GROUP THERE.
THE EGYPTIAN INITIATIVE FOR
HUMAN RIGHTS AND TWO STAFFERS
ARRESTED AFTER MEETING WITH
EUROPEAN DIPLOMATS, ACCORDING TO
THE GROUP.
THEYRE BEING HELD ON TERRORISM
CHARGES.
JOINING ME, ACTING DIRECTOR OF
THE EGYPTIAN INITIATIVE FOR
PERSONAL RIGHTS.
HE IS IN EGYPT.
GOOD TO TALK TO YOU.
LET ME START WITH WHAT WE ARE
LEARNING ABOUT THIS CASE.
YOUR COLLEAGUE APPEARED IN A
COURT SESSION MONDAY.
WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT WHAT
IS GOING ON WITH THIS CASE, WHAT
IS BEING DONE TO ASSIST YOUR
COLLEAGUES TODAY.
>> THANKS, AYMAN.
LAST TEN DAYS HAVE WITNESSED
UNPRECEDENTED ATTACK ON OUR
ORGANIZATION, YOU KNOW, AS YOU
SAID, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND
TWO SENIOR STAFF ARRESTED FROM
THE HOMES OR VACATION SPOTS IN
THE SPAN OF ONE WEEK.
THAT IS UNPRECEDENTED NOT JUST
FOR OUR ORGANIZATION, REALLY
HASNT HAPPENED TO HUMAN RIGHTS
ORGANIZATIONS.
WE HAVE BEEN HARASSED IN THE
PAST AND SLAPPED WITH TRAVEL
BANS AND FREEZE ON PERSONAL
ASSETS.
SOMETIMES WE HAVE STAFF STOPPED,
OFFICES RAIDED, BUT FOR
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY TO GO
HOME TO HOME ARRESTING SENIOR
STAFFERS AND A DIRECTOR OF A
HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATION FROM
HIS HOUSE IS REALLY UNUSUAL,
EVEN FOR EGYPT, EVEN FOR
INCREDIBLY REPRESSIVE REGIME
LIKE THAT.
PRESIDENT OF EGYPT TODAY, THAT
WAS BAD ENOUGH, BUT WHEN WE WENT
TO COURT YESTERDAY, EVEN
PREPARED FOR BAD NEWS, WE
THOUGHT THE WORST, IT COULD GET
WORSE IF NEW CHARGES, NEW
LUDICROUS CHARGES ARE ADDED TO
THOSE OF TERRORISM, UNFORTUNATELY IT WAS WORSE THAN
UNFORTUNATELY IT WAS WORSE THAN
WE EVEN IMAGINED.
APPEARED VISIBLY ILL AND
EXHAUSTED.
HIS HEAD WAS COMPLETELY SHAVED.
HE TOLD HIS LAWYERS AND
PROSECUTOR THAT HE WAS KEPT IN
SOLITARY CELL SLEEPING ON A
METAL BED WITHOUT BEDDING AND
WITHOUT ADEQUATE COVER AND THAT
HIS CLOTHES, PERSONAL ITEMS,
SANITARY ITEMS WERE ALL
CONFISCATED.
HE DID NOT HAVE WARM CLOTHES AND
THAT HE HAD BEEN COLD FOR FOUR
DAYS ALL THE TIME.
HE WASNT ALLOWED OUT OF HIS
CELL SINCE FRIDAY MORNING FOR
FOUR DAYS.
WE ASSUME HE IS NOW BACK IN HIS
CELL AND HE WASNT EVEN ALLOWED
TO USE HIS OWN MONEY TO PURCHASE
FOOD OR ESSENTIALS FROM THE
PRISON.
>> LET ME GET TO A BROADER ISSUE
YOU RAISED IF YOU DONT MIND.
WE REACHED OUT TO THE EGYPTIAN
EMBASSY FOR COMMENT ON THE
ARRESTS, AND FOREIGN MINISTRY
STATED ON THEIR WEBSITE, THE
EGYPTIAN STATE RESPECTS THE
PRINCIPLE OF LAW AND EQUALITY
BEFORE THE LAW AND FREEDOM OF
CIVIL ACTIVITIES IS GUARANTEED
IN EGYPT BY THE CONSTITUTION,
AND EGYPTIAN LAWS AND WORKING IN
ANY OF THESE FIELDS MUST BE DONE
THROUGH THE LAWS GOVERNING THEM.
IS EIPR DESIGNATED AS A
TERRORIST ORGANIZATION WHEN THEY
SAY TERRORISM RELATED CHARGES?
>> EIPR HAS BEEN OPERATING IN
EGYPT LEGALLY AND IN DAYLIGHT
FOR 18 YEARS NOW.
WE STARTED IN 2002.
WE WERE SUBJECTED TO HARASSMENT,
WE WERE DENIED STATUS AS A
NONGOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION, EVEN
WHEN WE ASKED FOR THAT STATUS.
LIKE MOST HUMAN RIGHTS
ORGANIZATIONS, WE ARE OPERATING
LEGALLY, BUT AS LAW FIRMS,
RESEARCH CENTERS, STATE BANKS,
MEDICAL CLINICS AND CONSULTANTS
OR PUBLISHING HOUSES, LIKE IN
MOST REPRESSIVE CONTEXT AROUND
THE WORLD.
PERFECTLY LEGAL, PERFECTLY
REGISTERED.
AND EVEN MORE SO, COOPERATING
WITH THE GOVERNMENT, BEING ON
COMMITTEES TO HELP DRAFT
LEGISLATION, BEING INVITED TO
MEETINGS INSIDE THE MINISTRY OF
FOREIGN AFFAIRS, MEETINGS WITH
THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
WHO IS NOW ACCUSING US OF
OPERATING AGAINST THE LAW.
>> LET ME ASK YOU, ARE YOU
OPTIMISTIC ANYTHING MAY CHANGE
WITH THE NEW ADMINISTRATION AND
CERTAINLY NEW SECRETARY OF STATE
ANTHONY LINCOLN WHO TWEETED OUT
AGAINST THE ARRESTS?
>> AS I AM SURE YOU KNOW BETTER
THAN I, YOUR BAR IS PRETTY LOW
NOW, AND COME JANUARY ANYTHING
WOULD BE IMPROVEMENT FRANKLY.
YES, WE ARE ENCOURAGED OBVIOUSLY
BY THE FACT THAT NOT JUST
ANTHONY BLINKEN TWEETED CONCERN
FOR OUR STAFF FEW DAYS BEFORE
HIS APPOINTMENT WAS ANNOUNCED,
PRESIDENT-ELECT BIDEN HIMSELF
EARLY IN HIS CAMPAIGN ALSO
PUBLICLY TWEETED THAT NO MORE
BLANK CHECKS IN THE CONTEXT OF
EGYPT, NO MORE FAVORITE
DICTATOR.
JAKE SULLIVAN, NEW SELECTED
NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER IS
WELL KNOWN TO EGYPTIANS FROM HIS
TIME ESPECIALLY DURING THE FIRST
PROMISING MONTHS OF THE ARAB
SPRING, SO-CALLED ARAB SPRING.
AGAIN, END OF THE DAY YOU AND I
HAVE BEEN DOING THIS A LONG
TIME.
WE HAVE NO ILLUSIONS ABOUT WHAT
THE U.S. IS GOING TO DO,
ESCIALLY IN A RELATIONSHIP
THAT HAS BEEN FAIRLY
TRANSACTIONAL, UNDER REPUBLICAN
AND DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTS.
>> WE SHOULD NOTE THE
ADMINISTRATION, THE STATE
DEPARTMENT HAS AS WELL BEEN