Washington authorizes arms sale to Egypt

Joe Biden's US government on Tuesday (Feb. 16) approved a nearly $ 200 million arms sale to Egypt, but pledged to lobby on human rights issue after a US activist raised the issue harassment from his family.

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The Biden administration, which has pledged to stop supporting Saudi operations in the Yemen conflict and is reviewing a sale of fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates, said it approved the sale of 168 tactical missiles to the Egypt.

In a statement, the State Department said it had approved the sale, which is subject to Congressional review, because Egypt

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The new US president has pledged to take a stronger stance on human rights issues than his predecessor Donald Trump, who has reportedly named Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as his

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Alleged torture

A lawyer for Mohamed Soltan, a US citizen who has sued the United States for alleged torture in Egyptian jails, said plainclothes police raided six members of the activist's family on Sunday, placing two cousins ​​in detention.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said the United States was informed and

the case.

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told reporters.

he added.

Read also: How is American aid distributed in Egypt

Mohamed Soltan, son of a member of the now banned Muslim Brotherhood, was arrested in August 2013 after Abdel Fattah al-Sisi dismissed the president brought to power by the polls, Islamist Mohamed Morsi.

In 2015, Mohamed Soltan was released and deported to the United States after renouncing his Egyptian citizenship.

The activist launched a lawsuit in a US court in June, and last month worked with members of the US Congress to form a parliamentary task force dedicated to promoting human rights in Egypt.