Egypt Arrests Around 40 People Over Social Media Posts

TDT | Cairo

Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com

Egypt has arrested or prosecuted about 40 people in the past month over their social media activity, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported Wednesday. Charges range from indecency to undermining family values.

The Interior Ministry recorded 29 cases between late July and late August, including at least 19 women and one child, while independent sources identified eight more cases during the same period, HRW said.

Most of the targeted accounts remain online and feature everyday content such as comedy videos, lip-sync clips, low-cost cosmetic promotions, and snapshots of daily life.

HRW said vague “morality charges” have led to what it described as “abusive prosecutions” targeting belly dancers, a comedian, tattoo artists, and social media influencers on platforms like TikTok.

“Egyptian authorities’ campaign against online content creators appears aimed at eliminating the last space for free expression in the country,” said Amr Magdi, HRW’s senior Middle East and North Africa researcher. “This is part of the government’s broader effort to criminalize all forms of expression that do not align with its political or social views.”

The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) called the wave of arrests the “most significant repression” since 2020.

Among those arrested was 16-year-old Nour Tofaha, who was accused of posting “immoral” dancing videos. A juvenile court sentenced her to two years in prison for incitement to immorality and debauchery, according to local media reports.

HRW urged Egyptian authorities to release everyone arrested for exercising their right to free speech online and to drop the charges against them. Magdi also called on the government to repeal laws that restrict privacy, freedom of expression, and freedom of belief in the name of morality.