Key Points
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HRW denounces arrests of online content creators in Egypt.
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Rights groups say crackdown targets freedom of expression online.
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Activists call on Cairo to stop arbitrary detentions.
Human Rights Watch has strongly condemned the Egyptian government for a wave of arrests of online content creators, saying that the government is cracking down even harder on free expression online.
The rights group said that dozens of Egyptians who have been using TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube to share funny videos, commentary, and other entertainment have been arrested in the last few months for things like “misuse of social media” and “spreading false news.” Activists and lawyers who work for human rights say that these accusations, which are often used under Egypt’s cybercrime law, are meant to shut down voices that aren’t in state-controlled media.
HRW is against the arrests of people who make content online
Amr Magdi, a senior Middle East researcher at Human Rights Watch, said that the crackdown shows how President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has been taking away people’s civil liberties for ten years. Magdi said, “Arresting people for what they post online is a violation of basic rights and shows the government’s determination to silence dissent in every area.”
Ahmed Tarek, a 23-year-old TikTok comedian whose sketches about life in Cairo got him more than 200,000 followers, is one of the people who has been arrested recently. Aya Ahmed, a lifestyle influencer with almost half a million Instagram followers, was also arrested. She was with Mahmoud El-Sayed, a YouTuber who makes short documentaries. Lawyers say that the people who are being held are being looked into for national security-related crimes, even though their content is mostly not political.
People are worried about the shrinking online space because of the crackdown
According to a report by Africa-news, Hamada El-Sawy, head of Egypt’s Public Prosecution, defended the arrests in official statements, saying that some of the creators were “endangering family values” and “inciting public disorder.” Critics say that these kinds of charges are vague and are often used to justify censorship and repression.
There has been a lot of pressure on independent journalists and opposition voices for years. Egypt is ranked 166th out of 180 in the Reporters Without Borders press freedom index. More than 20 journalists are currently in jail, including Al Jazeera reporter Hisham Abdel Aziz.
Activists want an end to random arrests
HRW told Cairo to let go of people who are only being held for what they say online. Hossam Bahgat’s Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights echoed the call, saying that the arrests could make young Egyptians who rely on digital platforms to make a living even more frustrated.
International observers, such as members of the European Parliament, are worried that the crackdown could make it harder for Cairo to work with Western allies who give it important military and economic support.
Magdi went on to say, “These arrests show that the Egyptian government is afraid of even the mildest forms of satire or social commentary.” “It is a plan that weakens rights and makes things less stable.”
