On Thursday The National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) said that police checking people’s phones while walking in the streets is against the law and the constitution.

The council criticised the exposure of citizens to arbitrary security measures, and the unjustified expansion of the arrest of citizens crossing roads and entering squares without legal justification.

The council affirmed that the arrest of citizens and their inability to communicate with their families and relatives, or to inform them of the charges against them, is an aggression against the rights guaranteed by the constitution and provided for by law.

The council said that it appreciates the serious situation facing the country, but the provisions of the constitution protect the inviolability of private life and fortify correspondence and communication between citizens, including electronic means of communication.

During the past several weeks a large number of citizens have complained about indiscriminate suspicion and humiliating searches and forced them to open images stored on their phones and open their accounts on social media.

A number of citizens published on social media their testimonies that they were subjected to humiliating searches for no reason, while walking on the street.

Egypt is witnessing an unprecedented security alert today and dozens of arrests have taken place against the backdrop of widespread popular protests.