Warning against using Corona to increase repression in Egypt .. The European Parliament calls for the release of the detainees

The President of the Commission on Human Rights in the European Parliament, Maria Arena, called on the Egyptian authorities to release all political prisoners, prisoners of conscience and those arrested arbitrarily. 

In a tweet on her Twitter account, the European official said that the death of director Shadi Habash in his prison in Tora prison in Cairo was a tragic event.

The young director was arrested after he released a video song by Rami Essam entitled "Balha", a title that political opponents called Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, in reference to a cinematographer known for lying.

On Monday, the United Nations called for a full investigation into the death of the aforementioned director, at a press conference held by the spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, Stephen Dujarric, by television with journalists at the headquarters of the International Organization in New York.

In the context of increasing international criticism of the deteriorating human rights situation in Egypt, Human Rights Watch condemned al-Sisi's approval - as part of measures to combat the spread of the "Coffid-19" epidemic - to pass amendments to the Emergency Law that would expand his powers.     

The amendments were published in the Official Gazette on Thursday, after being approved in Parliament at the end of April.  

The amendments allow the Egyptian president to close schools, suspend public services, prevent public and private gatherings, and impose a quarantine on travelers coming to the country.     

It also allows the president to limit trade in some products, lay hands on private medical centers, and convert schools, educational centers and other public facilities into field hospitals.     

Also, the military prosecutor will be empowered to assist the public prosecutor in investigating crimes reported by the armed forces, who are responsible for enforcing the law during the emergency period.

An excuse for new repression
In a statement, Human Rights Watch described the amendments as a "pretext" for creating "new repressive powers."

"The government of President Sisi is using the epidemic as an excuse to expand the abusive Egyptian emergency law, not to reform it," said Joe Stork, deputy director of the organization's Middle East and North Africa division.     

Stork considered that "some of the measures required in the stage of the health crisis should not be exploitable," adding that "resorting to a speech to maintain security and public order is an excuse, reflecting the security mentality that governs Egypt during the era of Sisi."