Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Wednesday, Oct 01, 2025

Egypt is ‘a terror state’, says freed human rights activist

Egypt is ‘a terror state’, says freed human rights activist

Egyptian-Palestinian activist says he was warned against ‘opening his mouth’ about jail conditions and legal manoeuvres.

Egyptian-Palestinian activist Ramy Shaath denounced Egypt as “a big cell” weeks after his release from jail and departure for France, saying he was determined to keep fighting for the Palestinian cause despite threats against his family.

The 50-year-old was a prominent figure of the 2011 uprising in Egypt and the coordinator of the country’s chapter of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.

“Egypt today is a big cell and we were in a much smaller one,” Shaath said from Paris after almost two and a half years in prison. “It’s becoming a terror state in every sense of the word.”

Shaath was arrested in July 2019 on charges of aiding a “terrorist organisation”.

He said of the hundreds of people with whom he shared cramped, crowded prison cells during his incarceration, “all of them had the same exact accusation with absolutely no proof, no substance, no incidence, nothing.

“Just a few words they tell you and that is enough to keep you in detention.”

Shaath said at first his fellow prisoners were mostly civil society activists or Islamist supporters of groups including the Muslim Brotherhood. Mohamed Morsi, a member of the organisation, held power from 2012-13 before being removed by the military.

But during his incarceration, increasing numbers arrived who had been detained for still more arbitrary reasons, down to a social media “like” for the wrong person or page, according to Shaath.

He said up to 32 people shared cells of just 23 square metres (250 square feet), where a single hole in the ground with a shower head above it served as toilet facilities.

Prisoners did not receive due process and were placed in solitary confinement if they complained, he added, saying one of his friends died in one of the one-square-metre punishment cells.


‘Rotting in hell’


After his release, “there were threats and warnings not to open my mouth, and especially not to open my mouth about jail conditions and legal conditions,” Shaath said.

Although he said threats were also made against his family in Egypt, he added: “I cannot personally go to sleep every night thinking of hundreds of friends and thousands of innocent Egyptians still rotting in hell and not speak about them.”

But Shaath still has hope for “a better Egypt, a more human Egypt, where I can go back and live, where my daughter can live safely with her family”.

He said BDS was a “non-violent way of fighting both occupation and dictatorship” and that “growing regional relations between Egypt and Israel have made the Egyptian government not want to hear internally anything about Palestine.”

Shaath said his opposition to a rapprochement between Israel and Arab nations brokered by the previous Trump administration in Washington was the final trigger for his arrest.

“That’s what I heard internally, that my position against Donald Trump’s and [Jared] Kushner’s ‘deal of the century‘ and my position towards the Egyptian role in it is what finally decided” the arrest, he said.

Following the opening up to Israel, “those same dictators that suppress their people are suppressing people’s aspiration for a freer Palestine,” he added.

Nevertheless, Shaath said he does not think the Arab Spring uprisings last decade failed.

“The Arab Spring began in 2011 but the end of it is not anywhere close. A change is a must, it’s gonna happen,” he said.

“I can see the regime in Egypt being scared and being suppressive, and being bloody, because it realises that what happened in 2011 has changed Egyptians in a way that they can’t go back.”


‘Rules of the game’


In an interview with CNN, Shaath called on the European Parliament to change the rules of the game in its policies towards Egypt, demanding it support freedoms and human rights as part of an approach seeking stability.

“As long as you do not take action against the regime and hold it accountable for its violations, it will not heed your previous appeals and demands,” he said, addressing the European Parliament.

“Real action will have a direct impact on the reality and future of human rights in Egypt,” he added.

In a speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday, Shaath made the same appeal.

“Egypt is boiling from within. If you want strategic relations with Egypt, you must first commit to defending freedom of opinion and expression and respect for human rights,” he said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
×