The US has stopped paying an additional 750 million dollars in annual military aid to Egypt.
A senior senator from the Democratic Party has withheld funding, expressing concern over human rights abuses by Cairo against political prisoners.
Senator Patrick Leahy is chairman of the Senate committee that rejected the US State Department’s justification for the aid.
Senator Patrick told a foreign news agency that the situation of political prisoners in Egypt is very bad.
Congressional assistance to Egypt is conditional on the Egyptian government beginning the process of releasing political prisoners and bringing those detained to justice.
US military aid to Egypt:
The US gives Egypt $1.3 billion annually in military aid, but this year, the US State Department withheld $130 million in September over alleged inhumane treatment of prisoners.
The US State Department said that the government of Egypt is determined to bring political prisoners under the rule of law and 500 political prisoners will be released this year.