CAIRO (AP) – Human Rights Watch on Thursday called on Egypt’s government to release from detention four members of a satirical street group who posted video clips on social media that mocked President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and criticized an agreement with Saudi Arabia that would hand control over two Red Sea islands to Riyadh.
Five of the group’s six members were detained last month, but one was later released on bail. The sixth member is in hiding. The five, according to their lawyer, are accused of using social media networks to insult state institutions and inciting protests and the overthrow of the regime. If convicted, they face up to 10 years in prison and a $1,000 fine.
“This kind of blanket repression leaves young people with few outlets to express themselves or joke about their daily hardships,” Nadim Houry of the New York-based rights advocacy group said in a statement. “Egypt’s youth have been a driving force for change since the 2011 uprising. Upholding human rights and free speech is the best way for el-Sissi to begin to repair the government’s relationship with them.”
El-Sissi’s government has eroded many of the freedoms won by the uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak. It responds to criticism of its human rights record by insisting it must strike a balance between stability and freedoms.
The six-man group, Awlad Shawarea, or “Street Children,” has a large social media following. It shoots selfie-style clips on the streets that deal mostly with social and political issues.