A 27-year-old U.S. citizen who has spent more than four years in Egyptian custody on dramatic murder and terrorism charges is expected to receive a verdict Monday in his mass trial with almost 500 other people a moment his advocates say could be make-or-break. The case underscores how complicated Washingtons relationship with the worlds largest Arab country remains as the U.S.-supported government engages in what rights groups call the worst wave of repression in modern Egyptian history.

Egyptian military officers arrested Ahmed Etwiy on Aug. 17, 2013, during a security operation targeting political protesters, according to his family and American attorney Praveen Madhiraju. Authorities held him at a military facility and then a massive prison complex for over three years before a trial began. Etwiy was not even involved in the protests, his defenders maintain. Then a 23-year-old student at the German University in Cairo, he was in the area to escort his grandfather to a bus depot.

But the events of that summer in 2013, when the army aligned with street movements to overthrow Egypts first democratically-elected president, and the policies of general-turned-president Abdel Fattah Al Sisi since have embroiled thousands of innocent people, leaving international watchdogs, activists, experts and officials with little hope of progress or accountability. Earlier this month, Italy returned its ambassador to Cairo following more than a year of controversy over the Sisi governments suspected role in the murder of an Italian student there, and Human Rights Watch released a major report arguing that Sisi has greenlit torture and impunity for state security services prompting Egypt to block its website.

At least 20 Americans are presently behind bars in Egypt . Only two others have been named by their families and representatives: 52-year-old Mustafa Kassem, who like Etwiy was targeted in the summer of 2013, and Ahmed Hassan, who was arrested at the end of 2016 and turned 18 in jail this past May.

The Trump administration says it recognizes its responsibility to detained Americans abroad and has already tried to punish Egypt for its human rights problems by cutting some aid. In an email to HuffPost on Friday, a State Department official acknowledged Etwiys plight something the administration has previously not done publicly.

We can confirm that U.S. citizen Ahmed Etwiy was arrested in Egypt in August 2013 on charges related to his actions during a protest. The trial of Mr. Etwiy is ongoing and a verdict is expected this month, the official wrote. The Department of State takes seriously its obligation to assist U.S. citizens abroad; we are providing appropriate consular services and will continue to monitor his case. Consular officers from the U.S. Embassy in Cairo have visited Mr. Etwiy regularly. Consular officers have also regularly attended trial hearings. We are providing all possible consular assistance.

Trump did personally intervene with Sisi a world leader with whom he has developed a particularly strong rapport over another detained American this past spring. That woman, Aya Hijazi, was released weeks later. But Etwiys family and lawyer have told HuffPost they have had no contact with the White House, and representatives for Kassem and Hassan have previously said the same.

We first reached out to the White House in March, and weve tried in several cases, both myself and the families. We havent heard anything directly, Madhiraju, the attorney involved in all three cases, said. The responsibility is really with President Trump: the law says the president must demand the release of Americans unjustly detained abroad.