Egypt press crackdown intensifies after U.S. military aid waiver, senator says

A senior Democratic senator has linked a renewed crackdown on independent journalism in Egypt to the Trump administration's decision to waive human rights conditions on part of U.S. military funding. Chris Murphy, who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the move amounted to abandoning the Egyptian people. He said the pressure on journalists intensified after the money was released.

Murphy made the comments at the Middle East Institute in Washington this week. He said he had no doubt the two developments were connected. The U.S.

State Department said it waived conditions on a portion of military aid to Egypt in September because of the country's importance to U.S. national security interests. The waiver applied to more than $300 million in defence assistance. The latest actions against the press have affected two of the few remaining independent outlets in Egypt.

On Tuesday, a court in Cairo ordered the closure of the news website Madr Masa and fined its editor-in-chief, Lina Attalah. Amnesty International described that ruling as a crushing blow to press freedom. Earlier this month, authorities arrested six journalists at the independent fact-checking platform Matsda2sh and charged them with belonging to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.

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The developments matter because Egypt remains one of the largest recipients of U.S. military assistance, receiving about $1.73 billion a year. Under U.S. law, up to $320 million of that funding can be withheld unless Egypt meets democracy and human rights requirements. Those restrictions can be waived, however, and the latest decision has renewed scrutiny of how Washington balances strategic interests with rights concerns.

Egypt has remained a close regional ally of the United States despite repeated criticism from human rights groups over abuses under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's government. The case also fits into a broader pattern of pressure on media in Egypt, where newspapers and television stations are closely controlled by the authorities. Human rights groups have long accused the government of torture and enforced disappearances, allegations that President Sisi denies.

He has said stability and security are paramount, and has argued that authorities have promoted rights by trying to provide basic needs such as jobs and housing. The current arrests and court action suggest that independent reporting remains highly exposed to legal and political pressure. What remains unclear is whether the U.S. waiver will lead to any further changes in Egypt's treatment of journalists or in Washington's aid policy.

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