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.
US media reports that Washington also demanded the release of 16 American prisoners in return for aid.
The decision by the US State Department is to make good on its promise to have a human rights-leading foreign policy and to curtail a portion of the $1.3bn in security aid the US annually provides to Egypt, a country it considers a key ally in the Middle East and North Africa.
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.
US media reports that Washington also demanded the release of 16 American prisoners in return for aid.
The decision by the US State Department is to make good on its promise to have a human rights-leading foreign policy and to curtail a portion of the $1.3bn in security aid the US annually provides to Egypt, a country it considers a key ally in the Middle East and North Africa.
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