Amnesty International called June 4 on Egyptian authorities to immediately release jailed activists and uphold international law, following the arrest of activists involved in organizing a peaceful rally.

Several activists and members of the Committee to Defend Prisoners of Conscience were arrested on May 25 after organizing a peaceful exhibition called "They Don't Belong in Prison," highlighting cases of people unjustly detained for political reasons. They were charged with "disseminating false news," and one activist and lawyer, Mohamed Abu al-Dayyar, is also facing terrorism-related charges. Other prominent figures among the arrested are Dr. Hanan Altantawy and Wafaa al-Masry.

Amnesty International charged that the government is pursuing a "relentless crackdown on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly," with "rampant use of arbitrary detention to intimidate activists."

The Egyptian Human Rights Forum issued a joint statement last week decrying the arrests, stating that the activists’ prosecution “constitutes punishment for their political activism and their dedication to various causes.”

Amnesty International called for the immediate release of the detained activists, including Mohamed Abu al-Dayyar, and for charges to be dropped against Hanan Altantawy and Wafaa al-Masry. It urged the government to drop its façade of human rights progression when "it has no intention of changing course or addressing the country’s decade-long arbitrary detention crisis."

Arbitrary detention, or deprivation of liberty in the course of exercising rights or freedoms, is a violation of international law, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

From JURIST, June 6. Used with permission.

See our last report on the crackdown in Egypt.