Since the beginning of July, Egyptian security forces have detained 119 individuals, including at least one minor, for their participation in anti-government protests, according to a report from Amnesty International. These detentions have taken place across six governorates amidst growing public frustration over price hikes and frequent power outages under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s administration.
Amnesty International’s findings, corroborated by human rights lawyers from the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Freedoms (EIPR) and the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF), reveal that seven of the arrests linked directly to content posted on social media platforms like Facebook and X. The detainees face charges assessed by the Supreme State Security Prosecution (SSSP) such as “joining a terrorist group, publishing false news, and misuse of social media.”
These actions violate Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which explicitly prohibits arbitrary arrests and guarantees the right to liberty and security. Mahmoud Shalaby, Amnesty International’s Egypt Researcher, emphasized the need for the immediate and unconditional release of all individuals detained solely for exercising their right to freedom of expression.
Underlying these protests are significant economic hardships, such as inflation and recurring electricity shortages, which have exacerbated public dissatisfaction with the government. This political climate has intensified the crackdown on protesters, opposition activists, and human rights advocates. Earlier, on June 15, human rights groups had publicly urged the Egyptian government to cease its targeting of human rights lawyers and to adhere to international human rights standards.
Amnesty International has called for a more constructive government response. Instead of silencing dissent through arrests and prosecutions, the organization argues that Egypt should focus on fulfilling its citizens’ social and economic rights, as articulated by Shalaby: “Instead of silencing people for expressing their discontent and continuing to use brutal tactics to eradicate any public protests, the government of Egypt must take concrete steps to fulfill people’s social and economic rights.”