23 Facts About Mohamed Soltan

Mohamed Soltan is an Egyptian American human rights advocate and former political prisoner in Egypt.

Mohamed Soltan's release came after appeals for his freedom from the Obama White House, Senator John McCain and other US leaders.

Mohamed Soltan played junior varsity and varsity basketball in high school, weighing 336 pounds when he began his junior year of high school.

Mohamed Soltan attended The Ohio State University, graduating in 2012 with a Bachelor's degree in Economics.

Mohamed Soltan's father, Salah Mohamed Soltan, is a prominent scholar of Islamic jurisprudence who taught at many Islamic education institutions and authored more than 60 books.

Mohamed Soltan took a break from his school when the 2011 revolution broke out and went to Egypt to join the youth-driven revolution for freedom.

Mohamed Soltan joined the sit-in in Tahrir Square and was on the frontline at the presidential palace in Egypt when President Hosni Mubarak was forced to step down.

Weeks after, Mohamed Soltan returned to the US and toured university campuses to speak about his experience during the revolution.

Mohamed Soltan worked as a business development manager for an Egyptian petroleum service company.

Mohamed Soltan was swept up in the Egyptian army's crackdown on pro-Morsi demonstrators protesting the 3 July 2013 military coup.

In protest of the return of military rule, Mohamed Soltan joined the Rab'aa Al-Adawiya sit-ins, where he served as a de facto citizen-journalist and often coordinated with foreign journalists and protestors.

Mohamed Soltan disappeared for two days and was blindfolded, beaten, and interrogated by state security officers about his father's whereabouts.

Mohamed Soltan wrote of what he described as his harsh, "mind-boggling" prison conditions.

On 30 May 2015, shortly after an Egyptian judge sentenced him to life in prison along with 37 others, including 13 journalists, the United States government spoke out against the sentencing and the White House condemned Mohamed Soltan's sentencing and demanded his immediate release.

On 27 May 2014, a video showing Mohamed Soltan was released by CNN's Christiane Amanpour in which Mohamed Soltan asked President Obama and the international community for help.

Supporters of Mohamed Soltan have called the charges against him to be politically motivated.

The hunger strike by Mohamed Soltan sparked criticism of the Egyptian authorities on social media and led to mass petitions and demonstrations to highlight his imprisonment.

Mohamed Soltan testified before the US Congress's Lantos Commission on Human Rights.

Mohamed Soltan briefed human rights organizations and other advocacy groups to discuss the gross human rights violations he faced in prison and that many continue to face.

Mohamed Soltan was a friend and ally of Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, who was assassinated by Saudi government agents in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey on 2 October 2018.

In June 2020, Mohamed Soltan filed a lawsuit against a former prime minister of Egypt, Hazem el-Beblawi, under the Torture Victims Protection Act.

The lawsuit argued el-Bablawi, who served as prime minister when Mohamed Soltan was detained, should be held accountable for Mohamed Soltan being unjustly shot, imprisoned and tortured.

Weeks after Mohamed Soltan filed his lawsuit, and again in February 2021, Egyptian authorities arrested several of Mohamed Soltan's family members.