Hasta La Gadget!

Aya Hijazi never planned to spend three years sitting in an Egyptian prison awaiting trial. On April 16, an Egyptian judge finally ended her unjust and pointless political imprisonment.

Hijazi and her husband, Mohammed Hassanein, declined a formal wedding. Instead, they used their wedding fund to launch the Belady Foundation in Cairo, a nonprofit designed to aid the impoverished street children of urban Egypt. A dual American-Egyptian citizen and George Mason University graduate, Hijazi went to Egypt to help save lives.

A warrantless raid by Egyptian police turned her dream into a nightmare. Dragged from the Belady Foundation offices, Hijazi ended up in an Egyptian jail cell, where four months passed before she was even made aware of the formal charges that falsely accused the Belady Foundation of sexually assaulting street children.

Hijazi brought the best of her American education and values to Egypt in an attempt to make the world a better place.

The government’s case fell apart almost immediately. An official forensics report commissioned by Egyptian prosecutors found no evidence of a crime, and the prosecution failed to present a single witness to any wrongdoing. In the absence of a case and facing growing international anger, the Egyptian government began a long string of delay tactics, delaying the hearing date seven times over three years. Hijazi and her husband remained in jail.

Hijazi brought the best of her American education and values to Egypt in an attempt to make the world a better place. She faced the same political repression many defenders of human rights face. Her vindication is proof that even small efforts to improve our world can create ripples that shake even the most entrenched authoritarian governments.

Humanitarian groups, members of Congress, the Obama Administration and the Trump Administration worked to free Hijazi from her political imprisonment. The process, dogged by political problems and foreign setbacks, at times seemed hopeless. Today’s decision is a credit to those who never lost that hope.

The Hijazi family maintained their commitment to fighting for justice. Now, that hope has finally been rewarded.

Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights joined Hijazi’s brother, Basel, on a recent trip to Washington. Over several days, Basel Hijazi lobbied members of Congress to raise alarm about his sister’s dangerous situation. Democrats and Republicans who heard Basel’s story and vowed action should be commended. Their outrage exemplifies our commitment to the American values of free expression and the rule of law.

We struggle to imagine the fear and suffering Aya Hijazi’s family has faced over the past three years. Through trial delays, isolation and fear of reprisals, the Hijazi family maintained their commitment to fighting for justice. Their optimism held strong even in the darkest moments of Hijazi’s case. Now, that hope has finally been rewarded.

The April 16 decision reaffirms to the world the United States’ commitment to free expression and participation in civic life. Such a turn of events would have been impossible without the active engagement of policymakers and the activists who spurred their resolve.

It also reminds us that there are many more cases like Aya Hijazi around the world, and we must not rest in our campaigns for their freedom. Authoritarian governments view apathy as opportunity. If the chorus of voices calling for justice under law fades, those governments will continue to act with impunity towards vulnerable activists. Complacency is not an option.

Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights will continue to fight for those like Aya Hijazi, whose only crime was the pursuit of a better life for poor children in Cairo. But today, with Hijazi finally, mercifully free, our thoughts are with her family. After three long years, the Hijazis will be whole again.

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Kendall Jenner hit up Coachella this past weekend, where journalists were reportedly warned that they would suffer the consequences if they dared to ask her about her disastrous Pepsi commercial. 

Jenner has yet to comment on the ad or the intense backlash she and Pepsi received on social media, and the Indio, California, music festival apparently was not going to be the place where she spoke up.

According to TMZ, Jenner had several interviews scheduled over the weekend, but questions had to be submitted in advance. Sources told the website that anyone who dared to sneak a cola-commercial-related question in would do so at their own peril, as their outlet would “forever be persona non grata.” The Huffington Post reached out to Jenner’s reps for confirmation of this report.

While it is common for publicists to state that certain topics are off-limits, Jenner’s reps are doing her no favors by delaying the inevitable, if TMZ’s report is true. 

Jenner dragging this process out builds it up to be something much more important than it is. The 21-year-old model is not responsible for the creation of the commercial, and it’s unclear how much she knew when she signed on for the project. 

What is clear that she missed an opportunity to mumble something about using this experience to “grow” and “learn an important life lesson” and move on. 

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America has heard a lot from the two people closest to political staffer Huma Abedin: former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, whom she served as a top aide, and former congressman Anthony Weiner, her estranged husband.

We haven’t heard much directly from Abedin herself, but that may change soon, as The Hollywood Reporter revealed that she is shopping a memoir.

THR reports that Abedin has been speaking to publishers about the project, which she is pricing at up to $2 million. Given her central role in Clinton’s campaign and her marriage to Weiner, whose political career was repeatedly felled by sexting scandals, that price almost seems like a bargain. Compared to celebrity book deals like Lena Dunham’s ($3.5 million) or political book advances like Hillary Clinton’s post–White House deal ($8 million), a couple million doesn’t seem outrageous.

That’s assuming Abedin plans to spill the dirt, of course. THR describes the work-in-progress as “a reflection on how her personal and professional lives collided during the campaign.” Her experience brings together two of the juiciest political stories of recent years ― Clinton’s failed presidential campaign and Weiner’s sexting scandals.

Abedin separated from Weiner, with whom she has a young son, in August after news broke that he had sexted a woman while lying in bed with his son. The couple had previously remained together after two previous scandals, in 2011 and 2013, both surrounding his sexual exchanges on social media and via text.

During an investigation into Weiner’s alleged sexting relationship with a 15-year-old girl, the FBI announced that it had turned up emails that may have been relevant to Clinton’s handling of confidential information on Weiner’s and Abedin’s devices. The revelation ― which came just days before the 2016 presidential election ― kept allegations that Clinton mishandled national security information fresh in voters’ minds and sent shock waves through the campaign.

Abedin has never spoken candidly in public about her husband’s indiscretions, defaulting to an even-keeled silence that she has attributed to her desire to protect their son. Following the dramatic manner in which his digital offenses affected Clinton’s campaign, silence may seem like a less and less viable option.

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