Politics of Egypt

Egyptian photojournalist Mahmoud Abu Zied, known by his nickname Shawkan, gestures in a soundproof glass cage.

10 years after the Arab uprisings, Egypt at ‘lowest point’ for human rights

Human rights

Egypt has gone from a human rights success story to a place where thousands have been detained or executed — and human rights activists have gone underground.

A candle surrounded by barbed wire next to a written description of Amal Fathy

Egypt and Amal Fathy: One woman’s story highlights national wave of repression and sexual violence

Conflict & Justice
A woman burns a portrait of ousted President Mohamed Mursi at the funeral of Egyptian public prosecutor Hisham Barakat, on the second anniversary of the June 30 protests, in Cairo, Egypt, June 30, 2015.

Five years of Sisi’s crackdown has left ‘no form of opposition’ in Egypt

Conflict & Justice
Supporters of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Tahrir Square after presidential election results in Cairo, Egypt April 2, 2018. President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi won 97 percent of the vote with virtually no opposition.

The arrest of an Egyptian satirist shines a light on the government’s system of intimidation

Global Satire
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi meets with with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence at the Presidential Palace in Cairo, Egypt on January 20, 2018.

In President Sisi’s Egypt, human rights are under threat

Justice
Ousted Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi during his trial at a Cairo court on May 8, 2014. He has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Egypt’s first democratically elected president becomes a convict

Justice

In 2012, Mohammed Morsi was the president of Egypt; in 2013, he was its deposed leader; today he’s a convicted criminal, sentenced to 20 years of hard labor. And this verdict is only the first of several to be handed down against him as Muslim Brotherhood members are tried by the new government.

Amira Mikhail, an Egyptian-American activist.

From thousands of miles away, an activist tries to keep change alive in Egypt

Justice

Amira Mikhail was in Cairo’s Tahrir Square on the day Hosni Mubarak was ousted from power. Four years later, she’s still trying to press for change — but the disappointment of the Egyptian revolution’s aftermath means she’s doing it from the United States.

Protesters hold a sign and photographs of detained Al-Jazeera journalists Peter Greste, an Australian, Mohamed Fahmy, a Canadian-Egyptian national, and Baher Mohamed, an Egyptian. The three who were jailed in Cairo on December 29, 2013. Greste was release

The release of a jailed journalist can’t hide Egypt’s human rights problem

Justice

The release of Al Jazeera journalist Peter Greste from an Egyptian jail may have been meant to deflect criticism on the Egyptian government. But there’s no getting around the Sisi regime’s poor record on human rights and the law.

Cairo University students shout slogans against the government and flash the "V" and "Rabaa" signs, protesting the release of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's. Protests erupted at universities across Egypt on November 30, 2014, in response to the

Egyptians are shocked as former president Hosni Mubarak goes free

Justice

Protests roiled Egypt this weekend after a court dropped all criminal charges against its former president, Hosni Mubarak. While his eventual successor, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, enjoys huge support, the reaction to Mubarak’s release showed how many people are unwilling to forgive their ex-leader.

Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed (L to R) listen to a ruling at a court in Cairo June 23, 2014. The three Al Jazeera journalists were jailed for seven years in Egypt on Monday after the court convicted them of helping a "terrorist organizatio

Frosty relations between the US and Egypt are further tested by Egypt’s crackdown on journalists

Global Politics

US Secretary of State John Kerry was in Cairo to meet with new Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi. This high-level meeting was an attempt by Washington to improve strained relations with Egypt following months of political unrest. But the sentencing of three Al Jazeera journalists Monday could be another setback.US Secretary of State John Kerry was in Cairo to meet with new Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi. This high-level meeting was an attempt by Washington to improve strained relations with Egypt following months of political unrest. But the sentencing of three Al Jazeera journalists Monday could be another setback.