By Tyler Campbell
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa
CAIRO, Egypt – It was January 11th, 2011 and the people of Egypt would no longer take the rule of president Mubarak. A month of protests, some of which turned violent, would end with the president Mubarak resignation and eventual life sentence. Five years later Egypt is faced with the realization that it has traded one repressive regime with multiple others in this short period of time.
On February 11th 2011, the people of Egypt had their victory and by June 2012 held their first real election in some 30 years. This victory was short lived. The newly elected Mohammed Morsi, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, was overthrown with in a year by the Egyptian Military because of massive public outcry. The military would then declare the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization and wage a campaign against them.
Fast-forward to 2014, and Egypt has drafted a new constitution and elected the former Armed Forces chief, el-Sisi as their president. El-Sisi has held his presidency into 2016 but with a repressive hand. Many human right’s activists are calling el-Sisi’s regime the most repressive in decades. Egyptian human rights activist and reporter, Hossam Bahgat has said the levels of oppression are worse than the worst periods in ex-president Mubarak’s or Gamal Abdel Nasser’s regimes. Bahgat recently found himself victim of the regime’s oppressive nature, and was detained for a number of days for publishing false news harmful to national security.
Since el-Sisi took power, his regime has imprisoned a record amount of journalists according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Support of ex-president Morsi has also been outlawed. Not only has the Muslim Brotherhood been labeled a terrorist organization, but any political party with a religious base was also made unconstitutional by the 2014 constitution.
Most of the laws are focused on quieting any political dissidence. The country now has a protest law that criminalizes any unsanctioned march or rally. There have been reports that the regime is going so far to control the message that they are instructing preachers to declare any anti-government action a sin. Along with message control has also come increased surveillance around Cairo. Authorities have installed new surveillance equipment around Cairo especially in Tahrir Square. Authorities have also raided thousands of homes, taken political prisoners, and allegedly forced disappearances.
The joy and promise that was felt five years ago seems to be gone. The whole period of Arab Spring is merely a distant memory for the people of Egypt. Citizens and human rights activists must wonder how many more oppressive regimes must be toppled and replaced in Egypt until the that feeling of promise is not misplaced.
For more information, please see:
Bustle – It’s Been Five Years Since The Egyptian Revolution. Here’s What’s Changed – 25 Jan. 2016
The Guardian – State repression in Egypt worst in decades, says activist – 24 Jan. 2016
The Atlantic – A Revolution Devours Its Children – 23 Jan. 2016
