None of this is unusual.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi’s government has, since late 2013, arrested and prosecuted tens of thousands of peaceful critics, journalists, academics and human rights defenders in an “assembly line” of serious abuse. But Mahsoob was not targeted for any political involvement. She was apparently arrested only because she is the sister of Mohamed Mahsoob, the legal and parliamentary affairs minister under former President Mohamed Morsi, and a leader of the moderate al-Wasat Party. He is now based in Paris, fleeing persecution in Egypt after the military ousted Morsi in July 2013.
Mahsoob’s arrest is part of broader thuggish tactics against families of critics and opponents who now live abroad. This has been escalating in recent years. There have been dozens of home raids, arrests and travel bans targeting relatives in Egypt who are not involved with politics.