Egypt: Al-Sisi says insulting army or police is “high treason”

Event

On Thursday, March 1, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said that he considers insults to the Egyptian army or police to be tantamount to "high treason." Al-Sisi's statement comes amid recent controversy related to a recently published BBC report detailing systemic forced disappearances and torture propagated by the regime since al-Sisi came to power in 2013. It is unclear if Sisi's comments will lead to an increase in charges being brought against individuals or media organizations that release similar reports.

Context

On February 27, the Egyptian State Information Service demanded that the BBC issue an apology for its "absolute falsification and fabrication" of information contained in the abovementioned report. Notably, the report cited the account of a mother who had not been in contact with her daughter since she was taken into custody since April 2017; the mother was reportedly arrested on March 2 and ordered by the Egyptian public prosecutor to be detained for 15 days for questioning. Critics have remarked that Sisi's statement amounts to a thinly veiled threat to media organizations to avoid covering contentious topics, particularly related to the actions of state security forces. At least 24 journalists and media industry workers are currently detained in Egypt - the third highest number of any country in the world.

Egypt remains under a state of emergency, originally declared following Islamic State attacks on churches in Alexandria and Tanta that killed some 50 people on Palm Sunday in April 2017.

Advice

Individuals in Egypt are advised to monitor developments to the situation, avoid discussing contentious political topics in public or on the Internet (particularly related to the military and police), and adhere to all instructions issued by the local authorities.

In general, due to the prevailing threat of terrorism, individuals throughout Egypt should report any suspicious objects or behavior to the authorities and always be on guard when visiting sites deemed particularly vulnerable to an attack (e.g. public transportation, train stations, ports, airports, public or government buildings, embassies or consulates, international organizations, schools and universities, religious sites, markets, hotels and restaurants frequented by foreigners/Westerners, festivals, etc.). Some governments advise their nationals against all travel to the Sinai Peninsula due to the persistent terrorist threat.