Egyptian rights activists in the United States are accusing the government of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of targeting their loved ones to pressure them into silence, spurring calls for President Joe Biden to put pressure on Egypt to address its human rights record.
Sherif Mansour, the Washington, DC-based Middle East and North Africa programme coordinator at the Committee to Protect Journalists, said Egyptian security forces raided three of his relatives’ homes in Egypt since August 20, arresting several people.
All but one have been released; his cousin Reda was accused of being a member of a “terrorist organisation” and remains in detention pending trial.