Christopher Cervantes
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Last week in Cairo, a controversial judicial sentence was carried out. On the surface, it appears to be a standard case. A defendant accused of being behind the death of three people, eight counts of attempted murder, threatening soldiers and police forces, and the destruction of public and private property, was sentenced to life in prison. But when we consider the age of the supposed perpetrator, the sentence defies all logic.

The newly convicted person is a 3-year-old boy. This child was one of 115 defendants for a crime committed in 2014. That would’ve made him a little more than 1 when the incident occurred. 

Officials say the situation was, in fact, a case of mistaken identity; the defendant was supposed to be a 16-year-old boy with a similar name. They have since rescinded the sentence on the 3-year-old.

The incompetence and lack of logic behind this case is simply astounding.

The first question that we must ask is, How could anyone allow this to happen? In actuality, somebody did try to stop the trial from happening. Defense lawyer Faisal al-Sayd said, “The child Ahmed Mansour Qorany Sharara’s birth certificate was presented after state security forces added his name to the list of accused, but then the case was transferred to the military court, and the child was sentenced in absentia in an ensuing court hearing.”

He concluded that this meant the judge presiding over the court did not read the case.

I wish I could say I was surprised, that no nation would ever allow such an injustice to happen. But I can’t. It is far too common. Countries can say they support human rights as much as they want, but the minute they step on them, there always seems to be some justification. If other countries try to step in, then that can lead to a harsher, more damaging outcome. 

What we have before us is a lesson on what can become of any nation if the right combination of incompetence and laziness controls the situation. And while I have seen many conversations and debates regarding Egypt and the status of its government and politics, it remains to be a prominent country not yet in destitution. As it stands, the United States wants to waive its long-standing conditions on aid when it comes to Egypt. That means we will supply it with aid without the usually required human-rights minimum.

Is it any wonder why events such as this occur in the first place? This type of injustice goes unpunished. Our own nation basically admits it’s bothersome but continues business as normal. I am not saying that we should try to force Egypt to do anything, only that we should be firmer when it comes to situations such as this.

Currently, it seems as if we, the United States, are the host of a tense atmosphere. With social media spreading word of apparent discriminatory acts and other forms of social discord, it is times such as this that we must act as a role model for other nations, that we must lead by example.

I urge the current administration to consider taking a stronger stance on human rights before its tenure is up.