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Congress pushes Trump to sanction Egypt over jailed US citizen’s death

Congress is pushing President Donald Trump to sanction Egyptian officials after Mustafa Kassem, a US citizen, died after six years in prison.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) announces a bipartisan agreement on Turkey sanctions during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., October 17, 2019. REUTERS/Erin Scott - RC1985FF89D0

Congress is pressuring President Donald Trump to implement legally mandated sanctions on Egyptian officials following the death of a US citizen this week after more than six years of detention in a Cairo prison.

Mustafa Kassem, a diabetic, died of a heart attack on Monday stemming from his yearlong hunger strike in protest of his incarceration. Lawmakers immediately clamored for the Trump administration to place visa bans on Egyptian officials involved in his detention, as required under the government funding bill the president signed into law last month.

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