An Egyptian court Sunday cleared an American woman of child abuse charges related to a non-governmental organization she founded to aid street children.
Aya Hijazi, who has dual U.S.-Egyptian citizenship, had been arrested in May 2014 along with her husband and six others. The arrests came as part of a wider clampdown on civil society especially following the military overthrow of an elected Islamist president in 2013.
Prosecutors provided little if any evidence to support the allegations, and human rights groups and U.S. officials alike had decried the charges as bogus.
Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., voiced his joy and relief for Hijazi's release in a statement.
"This wonderful news was a long time coming," he said.
Beyer was among several members of Congress who have called on Egypt to release Hijazi. Hillary Clinton reiterated the demand as well in a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi last September, when she was the Democratic presidential candidate.
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