Amnesty International has called on world leaders to issue clear condemnations against the security crackdowns launched by the regime of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi against his opponents following anti-regime demonstrations in Egyptian cities last Friday.
The organization said it had documented the widespread arrests by Egyptian security services of arresting journalists, lawyers, activists and politicians in an attempt to silence dissent and prevent further demonstrations.
Amnesty International has documented arrests in five Egyptian cities during demonstrations on 20 and 21 September, and Egyptian human rights organizations have reported the arrest of hundreds of people throughout Egypt during these demonstrations.
Amnesty International's Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Najia Bounaim, said Sisi's government "has been greatly shaken by the demonstrations and has launched a massive crackdown to crush the demonstrations and intimidate activists and journalists."
For its part, the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights reported the arrest of 964 people in connection with the demonstrations between 19 and 24 September.
The Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms said that a wave of arrests included more than 606 peaceful demonstrators, in addition to 37 demonstrators whose families refused to publish any information about them.
In a statement on its website, the UNHCR condemned the indiscriminate arrests and arrests of demonstrators in several governorates against the backdrop of the protest movement witnessed in the country during the past days.
It called for the immediate and unconditional release of the detainees, holding the Egyptian government fully responsible for their physical integrity and human dignity.
It stressed the right of citizens to practice all forms of peaceful protest and demonstration, and the responsibility of the state to protect and respect this right.