Amnesty launches campaign to release detained activists in Egypt

Amnesty International yesterday launched an online campaign to demand the immediate release of activists and human rights defenders who have been arbitrarily arrested in Egypt.

The campaign marks the 10th anniversary of the January 25 Revolution in Egypt, which toppled former President Hosni Mubarak.

“Ten years after the Jan. 25 Revolution in Egypt, activists and human rights defenders are still arbitrarily held in prisons,” the London- based rights watchdog said on Twitter.

“We will share the names of these activists and human rights defenders in Egypt for a week. Tell Egyptian President Abdelfattah al-Sisi that you are in solidarity with the prisoners,” it added.

Amnesty says thousands of human rights defenders, politicians and critics are detained in Egypt’s prisons despite the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

The organisation called on the Egyptian authorities to put an end to overcrowding in prisons “by releasing those arbitrarily detained, and those at high risk of contracting coronavirus”.

On Tuesday, the Egyptian Interior Ministry announced the release of 3,022 prisoners to mark Police Day, but it did not indicate whether the list includes political opponents.

18 days: testimonies of protesters during the Egyptian revolution