CAIRO — Egyptian opposition figures launched on March 1 a campaign urging the new US administration to pressure the Egyptian government on improving human rights conditions, similar to what Washington has done with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman regarding the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The campaign, led by 40 Egyptian opposition figures, including some affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, calls on the United States to impose sanctions modeled on the “Khashoggi ban.” Washington had announced on Feb. 26 a travel ban against those who prove to be involved in harassing opponents, activists and journalists around the world. Khashoggi was murdered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018. A US intelligence report declassified in late February assessed that the Saudi crown prince had approved the operation.

Among the most prominent Muslim Brotherhood leaders taking part in the campaign are Mokhtar al-Ashri, a member of the legal committee of the Freedom and Justice Party, the Brotherhood’s political arm. Ashri is considered the “engineer of the Brotherhood laws,” as he has issued, through his party’s legal committee, legislation that was submitted to parliament under former President Mohammed Morsi.

Also participating in the campaign are Saber Abou al-Fotouh, the former head of the parliament’s Workforce Committee; Fouad Rasheed, a member of the Egyptian Americans for Freedom and Justice (EAFJ), which is linked to the Brotherhood; and Mustafa Hindawi, a former member of the Freedom and Justice Party’s Shura Council.