[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Page 6384]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                 EGYPT

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, events in Egypt continue to concern people 
of good will in this country and across the globe, who have shared the 
Egyptian people's yearning for greater freedom under the rule of law.
  I am the chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee that funds the 
State Department and foreign operations.
  But even if I were not chairman of that subcommittee, I would have 
been watching the situation in Egypt with great interest and growing 
dismay, where hundreds of people are sentenced to death after a sham 
trial lasting barely an hour. It is appalling to see this flouting of 
human rights and abuse of the justice system, which are fundamental to 
any democracy. Nobody--nobody--can justify this. It does not show a 
commitment to democracy. It shows a dictatorship run amok. It is an 
egregious violation of human rights.
  So I am not prepared to sign off on the delivery of additional aid 
for the Egyptian military. I am not prepared to do that until we see 
convincing evidence the government is committed to the rule of law.
  We cannot stand here and say: We are troubled by hundreds of people 
being sentenced to death after a few minutes in a mass trial, but since 
we have been friends for so long we will go ahead and send you hundreds 
of millions of dollars in aid. No.
  I do not think the taxpayers of this country would condone that, and 
neither do I.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. MORAN. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call 
be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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