WASHINGTON — Mohamed Soltan, an Egyptian-American activist and graduate of the Ohio State University, returned to the United States on Saturday after being held for almost two years by Egyptian authorities. During his imprisonment, Soltan also staged a hunger strike that lasted almost 500 days and caused a dramatic deterioration of his health.
When Soltan arrived at Washington-Dulles International Airport, outside of Washington, he was greeted by a crowd of family, friends and members of activist groups including CODEPINK, who cheered, “Soltan! Soltan!” as he was pushed through the airport in a wheelchair.
CODEPINK: Women For Peace | Facebook
Abigail Hauslohner, a reporter for the Washington Post and the paper’s former Cairo bureau chief, was among the crowd at Soltan’s homecoming. She tweeted:
Soltan, in a wheelchair, seemed overwhelmed at times. Lots of faces, balloons. One friend called out: “I still owe you that steak dinner!”
— Abigail Hauslohner (@ahauslohner) May 31, 2015
Soltan was arrested by Egyptian authorities in August 2013 on trumped up charges that he formed an operations room to direct the Muslim Brotherhood to defy the Egyptian government. The Muslim Brotherhood is a pan-Islamic movement and political party, which was outlawed by Egypt’s military government after it deposed President Mohammed Morsi in a 2013 coup.
“Mohamed’s release ultimately serves as an affirmation that his participation in peaceful protests and his work as a citizen journalist and translator were entirely within the law,” wrote his legal team at Lewis Baach PLLC, a Washington-based law firm, in a statement regarding his release.
Soltan was released after surrendering his Egyptian nationality, following the same deportation law that allowed for the February release of Peter Greste, an Australian working for Al-Jazeera.
“We are forever indebted to the countless individuals who have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to secure his release, the vast majority of whom have never even met Mohamed,” Hanaa Soltan, his sister, wrote in a family statement released on May 30.
The family’s statement continued:
“We are, however, forever cognizant that there are many nameless individuals in this world who continue to wrongly languish in captivity. We encourage each and every one of you to champion their causes, as you have so graciously done for Mohamed, and pray that they and their families one day feel the same relief that we feel today.”
Twitter erupted with activity celebrating the good news of Mohamed Soltan’s release:
Good news! #MohamedSoltan, US citizen wrongfully imprisoned in #Egypt, has been released! http://t.co/KsX3E2ZswZ pic.twitter.com/lV4hhgDLR5 — AmnestyInternational (@amnesty) May 30, 2015
“Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, we are free at last.” — #FreeSoltan (@Free_Soltan) May 31, 2015
A welcome home sign as friends and family welcome Mohamed Soltan home after 2 years in Egyptian prison via @codepink pic.twitter.com/m4hjPBZJSJ — Ben Norton (@BenjaminNorton) June 2, 2015
Mohamed Soltan is home! Check out this beautiful footage @CODEPINK caught of his arrival in the US: https://t.co/cYXCXFYKIc — Alli McCracken (@AlliMcCrack) May 31, 2015
He shouldn’t have had to give up his Egyptian citizenship to avoid unjustified prison term. http://t.co/Afzg6WBxk8 pic.twitter.com/mOTt0B4cAX — Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) May 31, 2015
Glad to hear Mohamed Soltan is free. Hope other political prisoners also rehearsed soon #Egypt https://t.co/wHxtZMGNKR — Mona Eltahawy (@monaeltahawy) May 30, 2015
Best of luck to you, Mohamed Soltan. You deserve better than #Egypt. — نسرين سالم (@_Schehrazade_) May 30, 2015
Now that he’s home, Soltan’s hunger strike seems to have officially ended:
Freed US citizen Mohamed Soltan with his first pizza after longest hunger strike in history of #Egypt. #FreeSoltan pic.twitter.com/9caQ8pBr7A — Middle East Monitor (@MiddleEastMnt) June 2, 2015