In Egypt, repression hardens against the backdrop of Covid-19

The repression in Egypt seems to be hardening against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic. REUTERS / Mohamed Abd El Ghany

Text by: Nicolas Falez Follow

Numerous arrests have been reported in recent weeks, including those of several doctors who criticized the authorities' health management of the epidemic. Since President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi's arrival in Cairo, Cairo has been regularly criticized for its repression of any form of opposition or criticism.

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In recent days, new arrests of journalists have taken place in Egypt. Arrested Wednesday evening Nora Younis was to appear this Thursday in a Cairo court. Nora Younis is the editor-in-chief of an independent online media, Al Manassa, which she founded in 2015. According to the Egyptian Observatory for Journalism and the Media (EOJM), and Reporters Without Borders , Nora Younis has been accused of maintain an unlicensed news site. In May, Lina Attallah, editor-in-chief of another independent online media, Mada Masr, was briefly arrested.

Last week we learned of the arrest of another journalist Mohamed Mounir, who worked for the Al Jazeera channel. Aged 65, he was detained for 15 days renewable for "belonging to a terrorist group, spreading false news, incorrect use of social networks", according to a press release from the Committee to Protect Journalists published on Monday.

In the world press freedom ranking of the NGO Reporters Without Borders, Egypt is ranked 166th out of 180 countries.

Activists arrested

Journalists are not the only ones targeted by the arrests. Activist Sanaa Seif was arrested and detained this week. Sanaa Seif is the sister of a jailed opponent Alaa Abdel Fattah, a figure in the 2011 Egyptian revolution. Sanaa Seif was arrested on the basis of a warrant issued on June 21 for calling for demonstrations, and for disseminating "  false news about the deteriorating health situation in the country and the spread of the coronavirus in prisons,  "the prosecutor's office said in a statement.

We can also cite these arrests which targeted the family of Mohammed Soltan. This American of Egyptian origin has complained to the justice of the United States for tortures which he says to have undergone in Egypt these last years. In the days following the filing of the complaint, five of his cousins ​​living in Egypt were therefore worried. Several NGOs denounce “reprisals”.

The long list of cases of arbitrary arrest also includes political activist Ramy Shaath, arrested a year ago and whose pretrial detention has been renewed 16 times.

Since President Morsi was overthrown in 2013 and since the election of Abdel Fattah al-Sissi the following year, Egypt has arrested thousands of political opponents, human rights defenders and journalists.

One case has particularly moved in recent weeks: that of LGBT activist Sara Hegazy. Exiled to Canada, she ended her life by explaining that she could not continue to live with the trauma caused by her imprisonment. “  I am weaker than it takes to resist. Forgive me,  ”wrote the 30-year-old before committing suicide. Sara Hegazy was arrested in Cairo after waving a rainbow flag, an LGBT symbol, during a concert by the Lebanese group Mashrou Leila in October 2017. She spent three months in prison before being released and go into exile in Canada in 2018. "  In case anyone has any doubts, the government of Egypt has killed them,  " said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director of Human Rights Watch .

A crackdown against the backdrop of a pandemic

The repression in Egypt seems to be hardening against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic. At least 5 doctors are in prison for criticizing the authorities for handling the Covid-19 crisis. They are accused of "spreading false information", "belonging to a terrorist group" and of "undermining state security". We don't have masks for doctors or protective equipment for medical teams in Egypt, but we do offer them to China and Italy ?!"  One of them, Hani Bakr, was indignant on his Facebook page in early April, before being arrested. Egyptian health workers have also paid a heavy price for the pandemic , nearly a hundred of them have died in recent months.

In April, Egypt renewed the state of emergency in force since 2017, this time with provisions supposed to make it possible to fight against the coronavirus. An amalgam deemed dangerous by several human rights organizations who find that this law further extends the powers of President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi. HRW denounces an “abusive” law.

The other concern related to the coronavirus is the situation in overcrowded Egyptian prisons. Authorities in Cairo have remained deaf to calls to release prisoners of conscience amid an epidemic.

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