The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on Friday condemned the recent arrests of well-known activists in Egypt, calling on the authorities to investigate allegations of torture of detainees.
"Unfortunately, such arrests are ongoing and have included a number of well-known and prominent civil society figures," Human Rights Commission spokeswoman Rafina Shamdasani told a news conference in Geneva.
Several activists who participated in the 2011 revolution in recent weeks, including blogger and journalist Esraa Abdel Fattah and blogger Alaa Abdel Fattah, have been arrested.
The High Commission said in a statement that Alaa and his lawyer Mohammed al-Baqir, who was arrested the same day during his interrogation, are accused of "belonging to a terrorist group, financing and disseminating false news affecting national security, and using social media to commit publication-related misdemeanors."
"People have the right to demonstrate peacefully and to express their views, including through social media," she said.
The Egyptian authorities accuse Isra of "collaborating with a terrorist organization, spreading false news, and misusing social media," UNHCR said.
After her arrest, she was beaten "because she refused to disclose the content of her mobile phone, and then was forced to stand against a wall for seven hours," she said.
"The prison guards blindfolded Alaa Abdel Fattah and forced him to undress and walk in a hallway inside the prison, where he was beaten in the back and neck," the spokeswoman said.
The High Commissioner called on Egypt to "conduct a prompt and effective investigation into allegations of torture and ill-treatment during detention."
Demonstrations are banned in Egypt under a law passed in 2013.However, on September 20 and 27, several Egyptian areas saw demonstrations against President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, in response to calls by foreign-based businessman Mohamed Ali who accuses Sisi of corruption.
According to several human rights organizations, some 3,000 people have been arrested since September 20, including academics, political activists, lawyers and journalists, saying it was the biggest campaign of arrests since Sisi took office in 2014.
The European Union's ambassador to Egypt, Ivan Sorkus, said in a tweet on Tuesday that he had expressed concern about the detention of certain activists with Assistant Foreign Minister for Human Rights Ahmed Gamal El Din.