| She studied and at in the US and law at in Egypt | |
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| They were charged with child abuse | She married another Egyptian—American social activist, Mohamed Hassanien |
The case took a turning point when Aya's college friend, Chelsea Cowan, successfully lobbied congressmen and senators, bringing attention to her case.
20| Together with her husband she founded an "Belady Foundation" to support child political prisoners in Egypt | 2011 Egyptian revolution and Belady [ ] During the , Hijazi returned to her homeland, Egypt, along with her husband, Mohamed Hassanein, to establish a NGO , "Belady" meaning "My Home" |
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| Hijazi initially supported Bernie Sanders for president in the 2020 election | [ ] Belady focused on children and youth — one of Belady's main projects was helping street children who would otherwise be unsupported by state or non-state social support institutions |
For nearly three years, the seven individuals were imprisoned under charges that included human trafficking, kidnapping, and rape.
| [ ] Arrest and Imprisonment [ ] On May 1, 2014, police forces raided Belady and arrested Aya, her husband, Mohamed, Sherif Talaat and Amira Farag, also Belady members | Post Release [ ] As of 2017 , Aya resides in , where she works on expanding Belady and "saving the dreams of the most vulnerable children", by working towards the release of child political prisoners in Egypt |
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| Three months later, the police arrested Ibrahim Abd Rabbo, Karim Magdy and Mohamed al-Sayed, who had been trying to film video testimony with several children who had earlier been interviewed by the prosecution | As a result, made it a highlight in her presidential election campaign and President Trump pressed for the release of Aya and the other defendants |
In early November 2020, Hijazi tweeted her support for Joe Biden.
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