Egypt frees American Mohamed Soltan after 16-month hunger strike

CAIRO, May 30 (UPI) -- Egyptian authorities freed an Egyptian-American dual citizen after serving two years in prison, with more than one of those years on a hunger strike, on charges he supported an Islamist protest.

Mohamed Soltan, 27 and an Ohio State University graduate, was deported to the United States after relinquishing his Egyptian citizenship Saturday, his family said. Solton, one of thousands detained after the 2013 overthrow of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, was sentenced in 2013 to life in prison on charges that included financing an anti-government sit-in and spreading "false news." The Obama administration appealed for his release based on his failing health. The legal process that led to Soltan's release was not clear.

"As you can imagine, after spending several hundred days on a hunger strike, and many months in solitary confinement, Mohamed's health is dire," his sister, Hanaa, said on Facebook. "He will receive medical treatment as soon as he arrives on U.S. soil and will spend the immediate future with his family recovering."

Soltan's father, Salah Soltan, was a prominent leader of the now outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, and was sentenced to death for his role in the coup at the same time Soltan was sentenced. Family said the younger Soltan was never a member of the Brotherhood.