Egypt Frees Activists Amid Criticism Of Rights Record

Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published July 19, 2021 | 09:10 AM

Cairo, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Jul, 2021 ) :Egypt on Sunday freed six activists including journalist Esraa Abdel-Fattah, a symbol of the 2011 revolution, just days after Washington warned Cairo over a crackdown on rights activists.

Since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi took power in 2014, the former army chief has overseen a sweeping crackdown on dissent.

Analysts said the latest releases were aimed at easing international pressure over Egypt's human rights record.

The prosecution ordered Abdel-Fattah's release after nearly 22 months in pre-trial detention, lawyer Khaled Ali said, posting photographs of her leaving prison.

She was ordered released on Saturday along with Abdel Nasser Ismail, leader of the Popular Alliance party, and Gamal El-Gammal, a journalist and opposition figure.

In another surprise announcement on Sunday, the prosecution ordered the release of prominent lawyer and rights activist Mahienour El-Masri and journalists Motaz Wadnan and Mostafa El-Asar.

All had been in pre-trial detention on charges including spreading "fake news" and cooperating "with terrorists" or "illegal groups".

Security and legal sources said they were all freed pending an investigation into the charges they faced.

The releases are "aimed at easing domestic tensions and could have some positive results for Egypt's image abroad", said Mustafa Kamel al-Sayyed, a professor of political science at Cairo University.

"But I doubt that it will change the situation because there are many political prisoners" still detained, he added.

Also Sunday, well-known journalist Abdel Nasser Salam was arrested a week after slamming Sisi on Facebook, senior security officials said without providing any details of his detention.

A former editor-in-chief at state newspaper al-Ahram, Salam had accused the president of endangering Egyptian interests by failing to resolve a dispute with Ethiopia over its under-construction dam on the Nile river, calling on him to "resign at once".