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Hosni Mubarak

Egypt faces a new, harsher kind of repression

Sarah Lynch
Special for USA TODAY
Egyptian riot police are deployed near Tahrir Square, in Cairo, on Nov. 19.

CAIRO — Nearly four years after ousting one dictator, Egyptians may be facing an even more oppressive regime.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, a former army chief, is bringing military-like precision to target dissent by tightening control of the media and issuing a decree that could further obstruct justice in the nation.

"A lot of people have been silenced, killed by Sisi," said Nagy Gabbala, 42, who lives in a crowded neighborhood in western Cairo. "He ties our wrists. There is no freedom."

Since ousting an Islamist leader 17 months ago, more than 41,000 people have been arrested in a sweeping crackdown against Islamists, secular activists, protesters, students and journalists, according to the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights. Hundreds have died in the ensuing political turmoil.

"It's probably the worst attack on basic freedoms Egypt has ever witnessed in the last three decades or so," said Mohamed Lotfy, executive director of the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms.

That comes after a nearly 30-year rule by former President Hosni Mubarak — ousted by protesters in 2011— who oversaw an abusive police force, restricted media and speech freedoms and limited space for opposition to raise their voices.

Islamist Mohamed Morsi took his place in the country's first free presidential election, after an interim period of military rule, only to be kicked out of power himself by al-Sisi with widespread public support in the summer of 2013.

Today, the country faces what critics say are new obstacles: Authorities are drafting a law to punish reporters with up to five years in jail and a $7,000 fine for covering the military without permission. Dissenting voices have no access to talk shows to speak out against corruption and authoritarian policies. An anti-protest law limits rights to free assembly.

And last month, al-Sisi placed public and vital facilities — such as roads, bridges and gas pipelines — under military jurisdiction for the next two years and stipulated state prosecutors refer crimes at those sites to the military, Human Rights Watch reported. That means civilians protesting in public places can be tried in military courts, where they are not guaranteed due process.

"Certainly things are worse than the better Mubarak years," said Joe Stork, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Middle East and North Africa division. "Are they worse than the worst of Mubarak? I think they arguably are."

In a clear sign of retreating room for expression, political satirist Bassem Youssef — known as Egypt's Jon Stewart — announced the cancellation of his once-popular show in June. Youssef thought the atmosphere for a political satire was not right, and the station airing the program faced pressure to halt it.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi gives a speech outside the Supreme Council in Cairo on Oct. 25.

Despite international reproach, a large chunk of the population appears to back the government crackdown, which authorities have framed as essential to fight militant violence and restore order after ongoing political turmoil in the wake of Mubarak's ouster.

"It isn't just that the state is being repressive, but many people think the state should be repressive at this stage," said Heba Khalil, deputy director of the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights.

Many — including local media figures— are toeing the government line amid a surge in nationalist fervor that condones repression, a component of al-Sisi's Egypt that activists say is different from the days of Mubarak.

"If any media person says anything that is slightly not 100% supportive or blindly supportive of the current government, the audience is not accepting it," said Naila Hamdy, chair of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at the American University in Cairo.

Mohamed Sherif, a Cairo taxi driver, said he is OK with the fact that thousands have been thrown in jail and believes al-Sisi is a better leader than both Morsi and Mubarak.

"Sisi is great," Sherif said. "He's not a dictator."

With no end to the repression in sight, some have tried to fight back.

Protesters denouncing authorities and voicing a slew of other grievances have rallied since the fall of 2013 at the nation's public universities. Unrest grew so vociferous that a private security firm was hired this year to help quell campus unrest.

Now, an alliance against the political shift that brought al-Sisi to power is vowing to start a fresh wave of demonstrations.

"It is more repressive now than any time before," said Hamza Sarawy, a spokesman for the Anti-Coup Alliance. "We are now living in an era where there is no room for speech."

Mohamed Ahmed, 25, from Giza, said he can't lose hope that life for Egyptians will ultimately improve, and that there will be more jobs and a better economy.

"It's about who will work for Egypt – that's what we need," he said. "We hope the situation will be better in the future."

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