Egypt Court Sentences US Citizen to Life in Prison
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Photo by Stringer/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images(CAIRO) — A U.S. citizen was sentenced to life in prison by an Egyptian court earlier this week, prompting the U.S. State Department to express discontent.
“The U.S. government is deeply disappointed in the Egyptian court’s decision in the case of U.S. citizen Mohamed Soltan,” a State Department statement read. “We remain deeply concerned about Mr. Soltan’s health and detention,” the department added, urging his release “on humanitarian grounds.”
The State Department also called upon the Egyptian government to “redress this verdict.”
An official from the U.S. embassy in Cairo expects the decision to be appealed.
Soltan was arrested for supporting an Islamist protest after former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi was removed from power, the New York Times says.
In an October 2014 press briefing, State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki acknowledged concern about Soltan’s “deteriorating health,” noting that he had been on a hunger strike. That strike is believed to have lasted over 400 days.
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