In Egypt, coronavirus response efforts were led by the prime minister and other technocrats. What does this change mean for Egypt—and how long will it last?

The State Department has rejected a lawsuit filed by American citizen Mohamed Soltan against Executive Director for Arab Republic of Egypt at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and former Prime Minister Hazem el-Beblawi over charges of torture, WAshington Post reported on Friday.

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly on Wednesday approved a draft law amending some provisions of the country’s penal code, including adding a new Article (No. 309B) that provides a legal definition of bullying and sets the sentence for perpetrators at no less than six months in prison.

Five of Soltan’s relatives were forcibly taken by security forces from their homes last month, and his imprisoned father was interrogated. That came after Soltan filed a lawsuit in the United States against former Egyptian prime minister Hazem el-Beblawi, accusing him of overseeing the torture Soltan endured in prison.

Egypt’s Ministry of Justice has submitted a bill to parliament proposing amendments that would include further protections for survivors of sexual harassment who are afraid to speak up.

Egyptian authorities last week arrested a doctor who criticised the prime minister on Facebook.

Egypt’s Medical Syndicate publicly condemned Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly’s comments during an address he made yesterday, accusing him of blaming doctors for the country’s worsening epidemiological situation.

In a press conference earlier today, Egyptian Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly announced that Egypt will be loosening its COVID-19 public health and safety regulations, issuing a new set of measures for the upcoming period, effective Saturday the 27th of June.

Egyptian security forces on Wednesday raided the homes of two uncles of human rights defender Mohamed Soltan, who recently filed a lawsuit against a former prime minister accusing him of overseeing his torture in 2013.

An Egyptian-American activist, jailed for two years following a bloody crackdown on protesters in the country, has sued Egypt’s then-Prime Minister Hazem Abdel Aziz El Beblawi.