323 Anti-Government Protesters Arrested Before COP27 in Egypt

Over the last weeks, Egyptian security forces have arrested 323 people linked to a call to protest against the government during the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27), which will be held from Nov. 6 to 18 in Sharm El Sheikh.

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The arrests have come in the wake of a call for anti-government protests scheduled for Nov. 11. This social media call comes amid growing discontent over rising inflation and the collapse of the local currency, which has lost half its value against the dollar since March.

Pro-government media attributes the "11/11 Protest" to the Muslim Brotherhood, an illegal group that is considered terrorist by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi's administration.

Former presidential candidate Khaled Ali denounced that authorities are cracking down on activists through actions such as random phone searches, summons for interrogation, and arbitrary arrests.

The video shows scenes from the crackdown on protests in the city of Suez in Egypt, Nov. 3, 2022.

"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," outlet Madamasr recalled.

The current actions of public control are backed by the 2013 "Protest Law", which emerged as a response to the revolution of January 25, 2011 framed in the Arab Spring.

International civil organizations have called for the repeal of this law because it puts respect for human rights at risk and rewards the security forces for their excesses.