The United Nations has accused Egypt of engaging in arbitrary arrests and detention which it describes as a “chronic problem”.
The UN on Tuesday warned that continuous crackdown on social dissent will threaten the cohesion in the North African country.
It said there is “renewed campaign of arrests, interrogations and detentions of activists, bloggers and journalists in Egypt”.
According to the spokesperson for the UN, the new trend “appears to indicate a significant escalation in the crackdown.”
Ravina Shamdasani said the crackdown is “against the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly in the country.”
Crackdown
Egypt’s government which has been cracking down on critics and has been condemned for its stance on dissent since 2013.
“We are extremely concerned that arrests like this, often followed by harsh sentences, and often for simply exercising the rights to freedom of opinion, expression and assembly, have become commonplace,” Shamdasani said.
“Arbitrary detention has become a chronic problem in Egypt” she added.
The UN rights office, according to Shamdasani wants authorities in Cairo “to fully ensure the rights of all detainees to their physical and psychological integrity, and to due process”.
Source: Africafeeds.com
