Since October, hundreds of people have been arrested across Egypt, as well as outside the country, while at least 150 remain held in custody as authorities heighten security measures, deploy personnel and vehicles onto main streets and carry out arbitrary stop-and-searches in the capital.

The Egyptian authorities briefly detained an Indian climate activist marching on foot from Cairo to Sharm El-Sheikh, the host city of the COP 27 climate summit, and a lawyer who came to assist him, as the spotlight on Egypt’s abysmal human rights record grows. Both men were released on Monday. …

A South Sudanese student, who has now been deported, has accused the Egyptian government of torturing him whilst in detention.

Egyptian authorities have begun detaining people in response to calls for mass protests next month as the country’s economic and monetary situation continue to deteriorate, according to human rights lawyers.

With less than three weeks until Egypt hosts the UN annual conference on climate change (Cop27) in Sharm el-Sheikh, residents say the South Sinai city and its surrounding areas have turned into what looks like “a war zone” with security measures allegedly aimed at securing the event.

The UN is concerned about the fact that the Egyptian government has failed to open a proper investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of prominent economist Ayman Hadhoud.

Islam Ahmad Khamis is a young Egyptian in his thirties. For seven years, his mother waited for him to return home after he was arrested one day in the winter of 2015 and was subjected to enforced disappearance — extrajudicial detention — on four occasions by the authorities. After disappearing …

After security forces raided the premises of publishing house Dar El Maraya and took its director, Yehia Fekry, into custody overnight, Fekry was released on Monday, the publisher said in a statement.

Sharif al-Rouby, former spokesperson for the April 6 Movement, was arrested on September 17. The following day he was ordered detained in remand pending investigation into charges of joining a terrorist group and spreading false news. He had been out of prison for less than four months.

High-profile Egyptian activist Sherif El-Ruby has been arrested this week and will be in custody for 15 days on charges of “being part of a terrorist group” and “disseminating false news”, less than two weeks after he had been interviewed over the phone by Qatar-funded Al-Jazeera news broadcaster.