Egyptian activists accuse the government of using the fight against terrorism as cover to lock up political opponents and human rights workers. Egyptian authorities deny wrongdoing, but overflowing prisons and harsh treatment have led critics to compare conditions to those that led to the Arab Spring in 2011.
Egypt's Deja Vu
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On the left, Bakr Atef shows a picture of his father and brother with an official arrest document in the background. “I told prosecutors that they stole money from our house and kidnapped my father and my brother. Police officials showed us a document that accuses them of taking part in Islamic State activities in August 2015, after they were detained." On the right, Atef in his father’s store. “I’m now responsible here. It is our only income.” Taken in Cairo, on August 29, 2017. (H. Elrasam/VOA)
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Political activist and law student Tarek Mohamed Hussain, Also known as ‘Tito’, he tweets while he is waiting for his brother’ trial in September of 2014. His brother, Mahmoud Mohamed, then 17, was arrested after wearing a tee-shirt that said, “Homeland without Torture!” in Arabic about 200 days before the hearing. The family accuses authorities of deliberately delaying the procedures to keep Mohamed behind bars. (H. Elrasam/VOA)
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On the left, Nour Khalil says, “Since I came out of jail it has been not easy to socialize. I have become more careful when I leave my home. I always tell someone I know where I’m going in case something happens. Forced disappearance is very scary. Officially you don’t exist.” On the right, Islam Khalil views an Amnesty International report about his family’s arrest. “One of the most effective ways to fight forced disappearance is to keep talking about it,” he says on August 28, 2017. (H. Elrasam/VOA)
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An Egyptian woman cleans in front of her house in Giza, Egypt on May 18, 2015 after what authorities said was a fight between the police and two suspected terrorists. The suspects were killed but analysts say there was no evidence of a battle on the streets. (H. Elrasam/VOA)