Story highlights Human rights groups say freedoms more restricted than at any point in modern Egyptian history

Obama administration raises concerns about Egypt's security challenges

Washington (CNN) The Obama administration wants to waive long-standing human rights conditions on aid to Egypt, raising questions from rights groups that say the country is experiencing its worst period of human rights abuses in modern history and lawmakers who point to the recent conviction of a toddler on murder charges.

Secretary of State John Kerry acknowledged in Congressional budget hearings this week that "there are disturbing arrests, there are disturbing sentences," but defended the administration's stance by pointing to Egypt's strategic importance to the U.S., the competition among global players for influence in Cairo and the difficult security environment there.

"We've got a huge interest in making sure that Egypt doesn't go down into a more difficult status than it is," said Kerry, who repeatedly used the adjective "complex" to describe the situation. "There is a major challenge of extremism, bombs that have been going off in Cairo, bombs that have gone off in Sharm el-Sheikh, different challenges."

The administration's call to formally omit human rights as a condition "is disappointing," said Stephen McInerney, executive director of the Project on Middle East Democracy. "This is the worst period for human rights abuses, as well as the closure of political space, in Egypt's modern history."

The debate over Egypt's aid reflects a long-standing tension between U.S. security interests in stable, friendly countries and the desire to promote core American values such as freedom of speech and of worship. That friction is particularly acute in the Middle East, where the Obama administration has shifted from idealism to realpolitik since the so-called Arab Spring has devolved into protracted, bloody conflict across the region.

Read More