In a recent expose, French news agency France 24 highlighted that Egypt has undergone its most challenging decade concerning human rights abuses. The report suggests that the Egyptian legal system has turned into an intricate web over the past ten years, leaving even experts at a loss.
Egypt ranks alarmingly low, at 135 out of 140 countries, on the global Rule of Law Index by the World Justice Project. The report notes the disturbing trend of detaining activists and lawyers for expressing their views or engaging in political activities.
Mahienour El-Masry, a prominent human rights lawyer, has spoken out about regular citizens facing terrorism charges over a mere social media post criticizing living costs. A case in point is Samer El-Desouki, who was arrested in May 2022, despite his family’s assertion that he neither identifies as an Islamist nor aligns with the liberal opposition.
El-Desouki’s trial, along with many others, was held in State Security Courts, where lawyers lack access to case files. Despite his acquittal from terrorism-related charges, El-Desouki remains in preventive detention due to continually emerging cases against him.
El-Masry, who had previously campaigned for the departure of Egypt’s first democratically elected civilian President Mohamed Morsi, has been jailed thrice over the past decade and no longer participates in public protests.
The report further indicates that approximately 562 news and political websites are currently blocked in Egypt. Despite the Egyptian government’s initiative to replace traditional prisons with “rehabilitation centers,” the report raises concerns over the recorded deaths of 17 detainees, including five within these new facilities, amid the authority’s refusal to disclose the prisoner count.
According to El-Masry’s personal experience and estimates, Egypt is currently holding about 60,000 political detainees. Her observation includes a significant increase in female political prisoners, rising from 30 in 2016 to an entire wing of approximately 200 prisoners in 2019.
