Egypt is facing a barrage of criticism over what rights groups say is a crackdown on protests and activists, as it prepares to host the COP27 climate summit starting Sunday.
Rights groups have accused the Egyptian government of arbitrarily detaining activists after Egyptian dissidents abroad called for protests to be held against President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on November 11, during the United Nations climate talks.
Indian climate activist Ajit Rajagopal was detained in Cairo last Sunday after setting off on a protest walk from the Egyptian capital to Sharm el-Sheikh, the Red Sea resort where the COP27 conference will be held from November 6 to 18. Rajagopal was released after a brief detention in Cairo along with his friend, lawyer Makarios Lahzy, a Facebook post by Lahzy said.
It is not uncommon to see a young activist approaching a national delegation walking down the corridor to their next meeting or an indigenous leader chatting to a minister on the sidelines of a debate. Anyone wanting to organize a protest will need to be registered for the public part of the conference -- a requirement that may scare off activists fearing surveillance. Among the rules imposed by the Egyptian authorities on the protests is a ban on the use of "impersonated objects, such as satirical drawings of Heads of States, negotiators, individuals.
A group of Egyptian civil rights groups has launched a petition calling for the Egyptian authorities to end the prosecutions of civil society activists and organizations and end restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly.
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