On Sunday, November 6, 2022, the UN climate summit (COP27) kicked off at the Red Sea resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, amid rising concerns over human rights violations.
Local rights groups have raised concerns about the arrest of protesters and imprisonment of political prisoners in Egypt ahead of the climate summit.
Scores of Egyptian people were detained in response to calls for mass protests as the country’s economic crisis continues to deteriorate. Nearly 70 people were detained in connection with the calls.
Indian environmental activist Ajit Rajagopal was among the detainees, where she was rounded up while on a peaceful march from Cairo to Sharm el-Sheikh, where the event is being held.
Security forces, some in plain clothing, were recorded arbitrarily stopping individuals and arresting some of them.
The mass demonstrations are being called for November 11th to protest worsening socio-economic conditions, days after the Egyptian pound reached a record low.
Since Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi took power in a military coup in 2013, authorities have long launched successive crackdowns on protests and civil society organisations. The right to protest and free speech have been eroded since then.
