Egyptian court sets 23 March to rule in Aya Hegazi 'child exploitation' case

An Egyptian criminal court has set 23 March to issue a verdict in the case of Egyptian-American activist Aya Hegazi and six other defendants who are accused of human trafficking, kidnapping, and the sexual exploitation and torture of children.   Hegazi, 29, and her husband Mohamed Hassanein was detained in May 2014 over accusations that her NGO Belady Initiative – a foundation which aim at helping street children in Cairo – was involved in child abuse as well as operating an unlicensed organisation.   Aya and her co-defendants were referred to court in May 2015.   The case was postponed more than once.   The case has been as source of tension between the Egyptian government and the former US administration, as Hegazi holds US citizenship.    Last year, the White House called for the release of Hegazi from prison, describing the case against her as part of  a campaign to suppress NGOs and human rights organisations by levelling false criminal charges against their employees.   Cairo, however, denounced what it described as the "insistence of American official circles to undermine the rule of law and deal with it selectively, to the point where it is explicitly demanding the release of a defendant and the dropping of all charges merely because the defendant holds an American nationality."    In September 2016, a US deputy national security advisor met with Hegazi's family, where he reiterated then-US President Barack Obama's "deep concern for the welfare of all American citizens held abroad, and assured Hegazi's family that the United States will continue to offer her all possible consular support."   Hegazi's family described the charges against her as "absolutely absurd and unfounded."         Source: Ahram online