The case took a turning point when Aya's college friend, Chelsea Cowan, successfully lobbied congressmen and senators, bringing attention to her case | I succeeded and Obama failed," a sentiment that she felt exposed egotistical motives, and contributed to her endorsing Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election |
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Working on such projects was seen by Belady to foster a sense of community while developing life skills within the children and the volunteers | Hijazi, Aya 14 March 2020 |
2011 Egyptian revolution and Belady [ ] During the , Hijazi returned to her homeland, Egypt, along with her husband, Mohamed Hassanein, to establish a NGO , "Belady" meaning "My Home".
[ ] Arrest and Imprisonment [ ] On May 1, 2014, police forces raided Belady and arrested Aya, her husband, Mohamed, Sherif Talaat and Amira Farag, also Belady members | [ ] Belady focused on children and youth — one of Belady's main projects was helping street children who would otherwise be unsupported by state or non-state social support institutions |
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Three months later, the police arrested Ibrahim Abd Rabbo, Karim Magdy and Mohamed al-Sayed, who had been trying to film video testimony with several children who had earlier been interviewed by the prosecution | On April 16, 2017, the found Aya and all Belady members innocent of all charges |
[ ] References [ ]• Together with her husband she founded an "Belady Foundation" to support child political prisoners in Egypt.
25According to Hijazi, Trump told her at that meeting "You know it's I who released you, don't you? In early November 2020, Hijazi tweeted her support for Joe Biden | Post Release [ ] As of 2017 , Aya resides in , where she works on expanding Belady and "saving the dreams of the most vulnerable children", by working towards the release of child political prisoners in Egypt |
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She studied and at in the US and law at in Egypt | Aya's case took place in the context of , police corruption, the fabrication of criminal cases, and the abuse of pretrial detention and its use as a political tool to suppress any opposition |
For nearly three years, the seven individuals were imprisoned under charges that included human trafficking, kidnapping, and rape.
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