September 26, 2019

Rights organisations have warned the Egyptian authorities that the situation in Egypt could explode if repression of the protests in the country since last Friday, continue.

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) has described a horrific campaign of repression and arrests exerted by the Egyptian authorities over the past week, which could cause Egypt to explode “as a result of the use of police and repression rather than political reform and accountability for the waste of public money and violating the rights of citizens.”

In a statement the Arab Network said that “the campaign of recent violations, which have escalated since last Friday evening, has not stopped so far. There has been no respect for the law and the provisions of the constitution.”

The Arabic Network added: “The crackdown by the Egyptian authorities to try to quell the anger among the youth did not exclude factions or political forces, from the right or the left.”

The network confirmed that the “organisation was able to count about 370 detainees, which is a small part of the real figures of the people who have been arrested, and most of them were characterised by a clear violation of the provisions of the law and the constitution.”

“The 17 prisons built by the al-Sisi regime will not accommodate millions of angry Egyptians, and even if the new presidential palaces are turned into prisons, they will not accommodate these huge numbers,” the Arabic Network said.

ANHRI stressed that “anger [on the Egyptian street] is enormous. There is no alternative to political and economic reform, stopping the waste of public money and accountability, or continuing violent repression that could lead to an explosion that could lead to irreversible consequences.”

The Arabic Network explained that “the accusations made against detainees in the recent period are the same charges that prosecutors have used against other prisoners of conscience.”

The Foundation for Freedom of Thought and Expression condemned “the violent practices of the Egyptian security services towards the recent protesters in Cairo and a number of governorates,” pointing out that its lawyers contribute to investigations conducted by the Supreme State Security Prosecution against the arrested protesters.

The organisation said in a statement that the police forces “used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the demonstrations, and arrested some participants, including journalists.”

The Foundation for Freedom of Thought and Expression called on the Egyptian authorities to “immediately release all citizens and journalists who were arrested during this campaign.”

In a statement, EFDI International called for the release of all detainees and detainees in connection with the recent demonstrations, calling on “decision makers in Egypt to show wisdom and reason in dealing with the demands of peaceful Egyptian citizens.”

The organisation stressed the need for the Egyptian authorities to “respect their domestic and international obligations in the field of rights and freedoms, especially the Egyptian constitution, which calls for freedom of protest, opinion and expression.”

Several Egyptian governorates have witnessed since last Friday protests demanding the overthrow of the regime, and the departure of Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, in response to a call for demonstrations launched by the actor and businessman Mohamed Ali, after he revealed in several videos corruption projects pursued by al-Sisi and the army.