Egypt's security agencies are trying to stifle criticism about President Abdel Fattah El Sisi's handling of the health crisis in the country
Egyptian security forces cordon off roads during curfew hours as prevention measures due to the coronavirus outbreak, in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, March 29, 2020.
Other health workers say they have been warned by administrators to keep quiet or face punishment. One foreign correspondent has fled the country, fearing arrest, and another two have been reprimanded over “professional violations.” The pandemic has pushed the Egyptian Medical Syndicate, a non-political professional group, into a new role as the sole advocate for doctors' rights.
“These doctors have no history of activism, they were arrested because they offered criticism of their very specific professional circumstances,” said Amr Magdi of Human Rights Watch, which has confirmed the arrests of eight doctors and two pharmacists. Two have been released, he said, while the rest remain in pretrial detention.
In one voice recording obtained by The Associated Press, a health deputy in a Nile Delta province can be heard saying, “Even if a doctor is dying, he must keep working … or be subjected to the most severe punishment.”
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