The arbitrary detention of over 100 people in Egypt following calls for anti-government protests is a violation of their right to free speech.
Development Diaries reports that according to Amnesty International, the Egyptian authorities have embarked on a new wave of arbitrary arrests of dozens of people against the backdrop of calls for anti-government protests amid rising public discontent at soaring prices and ongoing power cuts.
Findings by the human rights organisation further reveal that Egyptian security forces have arbitrarily detained 119 people, since the beginning of July, including at least seven women and one child.
This is understood to have occurred in at least six governorates in connection to online calls for a ‘Dignity Revolution’ on 12 July.
We gathered that the detainees, via their social media accounts, had posted a call for protests due to price hikes and the year-long power cuts, but the protests eventually did not materialise.
This is a typical violation of several fundamental human rights, including the right to freedom of expression, assembly, and association.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Egypt is a signatory, explicitly protect these freedoms.
Arbitrary detentions, especially in response to political dissent, suggest a broader pattern of repression aimed at stifling opposition and maintaining governmental control, which undermines the democratic process and the rule of law.
It is extremely sad that protesting about declining economic and living conditions in Egypt results in being imprisoned. Reports of torture, inhumane treatment, and lack of due process are common in cases of political detentions in Egypt.
Rather than stifling criticism and persisting in employing harsh measures to quell demonstrations in public, the Egyptian government ought to implement tangible measures to ensure that citizens’ social and economic rights are respected.
Development Diaries calls on the Egyptian authorities to ensure that all those who were arbitrarily imprisoned for using their right to free speech are released, and make sure that people can protest without fear of retaliation.
Source: Amnesty International
Photo source: Alisdare Hickson
