Egypt 'kept chokehold' on freedoms, civic space in 2025: HRW

Egypt "kept a chokehold" on freedoms and civic space in 2025, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Wednesday, warning that the crackdown unfolded against deep economic strain and years of underfunded public services.

The country has long faced criticism over its human rights record.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's administration has made apparent overtures in recent years, including holding a "national dialogue" and releasing high-profile activists.

But Cairo still holds thousands of political prisoners, including some arrested after receiving presidential pardons.

In its World Report 2026, HRW said that Egypt "systematically dismantled basic freedoms and suffocated civic space" last year.

It added that worsening economic conditions and underfunded education and healthcare services have "undermined people's socioeconomic rights".

"The Egyptian authorities have kept a chokehold over the country this past year, with rights defenders, journalists and activists imprisoned," said Amr Magdi, HRW's senior Middle East and North Africa researcher.

Magdi accused the authorities of "crushing peaceful dissent with impunity" while failing to manage the economy "in a way that fulfils people's rights".

Egypt's economy has struggled since 2022, hit by the spillover of the war in Ukraine and regional instability in Gaza and Sudan. These shocks have compounded long-standing structural weaknesses and rising debt fuelled by large state-led infrastructure projects.

Recent investments from wealthy Gulf allies have helped stabilise the economy, but regular Egyptians continue to struggle to meet basic needs, their savings depleted by successive currency devaluations.

The Egyptian pound has lost more than two-thirds of its value over four years, driving up the cost of staples and transport in the import-dependent economy.

Legislative elections held last year took place without "genuine competition, ensuring parliament will remain a rubber-stamp institution", HRW said.

Authorities continued to detain journalists, social media influencers and content creators, the watchdog added.

In May, trials for about 6,000 people on "terrorism" charges also began, many after years in pretrial detention, it said.

HRW urged Egypt to end its crackdown, release those unlawfully detained and increase investment in public services.