Egypt
1 – General situation regarding arbitrary detention of human rights defenders in Egypt:
The election of Abdel Fattah al-Sissi in 2014 marked the Army's return to power after the 2011
revolution, and its authoritarian methods. The challenges facing human rights defenders remain the
same as during the Mubarak era: lawyers, journalists, bloggers and other human rights defenders who
defend victims of torture or seek to denounce violations committed by the authorities are harassed,
physically assaulted, arrested or subjected to judicial harassment. Young people and leaders of the
2011 revolution are also targets of attack.
In recent years, thousands of opponents, activists and human rights defenders have been arbitrarily
arrested, many have been subjected to enforced disappearance (people arrested by the authorities
often disappear for a time before reappearing in court), have been prosecuted on trumped-up charges
of terrorism or undermining national security, and some have been the victims of extra-judicial
executions. These charges are also used to convict exiled defenders in absentia. The use of torture in
detention is widely denounced, and an increase in the number of people sentenced to death and
executions has been noted. The press remains muzzled and the authorities have no hesitation in
illegally monitoring the activities of human rights defenders, particularly on the Internet. Despite its
international commitments to ensure a safe and enabling environment for defenders and protect civic
space, the Egyptian government continues to systematically repress human rights defenders,
journalists, and activists.
An abusive legal framework has been established, despite repeated warnings such as the 11 UPR
recommendations on freedom of association. The government has implemented a range of laws to
restrict civic rights and space, including the Law Governing the Pursuit of Civil Work, which imposes
severe restrictions on civil society by limiting activities to "societal development" and prohibiting
essential practices like opinion polls and foreign cooperation without approval. Additionally, Law No.
175 on Cybercrimes legalises censorship and cracks down on digital freedoms, while counterterrorism laws are misused to prosecute human rights defenders like Mr. Mohammad Al Baqer and
Mr. Zyad el-Elaimy.
This legal arsenal is the basis for the prosecution of human rights defenders, making arbitrary
detention, and especially preventive detention, one of the main violations against human rights
defenders.
An emblematic figure currently arbitrarily detained is Mr. Alaa Abdel Fattah, a British-Egyptian
writer, human rights defender and software developer. He was one of the leading voices and
campaigners during the 25 January 2011 revolution. He has been published in numerous outlets; is
well-known for founding a prominent Arabic blog aggregator; and has been involved in a number of
citizen journalism initiatives. His book, You Have Not Yet Been Defeated, which compiles some of
his deeply influential writings, has received widespread acclaim. Since then, he has been in and out
of prison, constantly targeted by the Egyptian authorities. He is now serving a five-year prison
sentence for “spreading false news undermining national security” in Criminal Case 1228 of 2021.
Despite being a British citizen, he continues to be denied consular visits. His ongoing arbitrary
detention is of serious concern to our organisations.