In the past 30 days, more than 40 lawyers, human rights advocates, and political activists have been arrested and held by Egyptian authorities, according to NGO Human Rights Watch. According to HRW statements and spokespersons, “Many of those arrested were people who provided humanitarian and legal support to families of political detainees…the government apparently wants to quash what remains of Egyptian civil society.” Since Sisi’s coup in 2013, the government has targeted the Muslim Brotherhood (winner of the country’s first democratic elections) along with secular activists critical of the government. In the last election, Sisi won reelection in a contest where all serious opposition ended their campaigns due to intimidation or arrest. Rights groups continue to fight for the release of the location where political prisoners are being held, as well as for their release.
Source: Dozens of human rights activists, lawyers arrested by Egypt: HRW | News | Al Jazeera
