FREEDOM

Egyptian Court Acquits American Aid Worker

Held for nearly three years.

An Egyptian court on Sunday acquitted an Egyptian-American who’s been held for nearly three years over her work with street children. Aya Hijazi was arrested along with her husband and six others in May 2014. They were accused of human trafficking, kidnapping, sexual exploitation and torture in a case that human rights groups said was fabricated. Hijazi, who along with her husband co-founded the Belady Foundation, an NGO providing services to Cairo’s street children, is now due to be freed within the next few days, her lawyer said Sunday. The acquittal comes after a trial that was repeatedly delayed and, according to rights groups, fraught with violations in what Human Rights Watch called a “travesty of justice.” Former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was just one of many U.S. politicians to demand Hijazi’s release. In addition to Hijazi, the court on Sunday also found her husband and the six others arrested in the case not guilty.