The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on Friday condemned the recent arrests of well-known activists in Egypt and called on the authorities to investigate allegations of torture of detainees.
Several activists who participated in the 2011 revolution in recent weeks, including blogger and journalist Esraa Abdel Fattah and blogger Alaa Abdel Fattah, have been arrested.
Abdel Fattah and his lawyer Mohammed al-Baqir, who are also in custody, are accused of "belonging to a terrorist group," financing and "spreading false national security news" and "using social media to commit misdemeanors related to publication," the commission said in a statement.
"People have the right to demonstrate peacefully and to express their views, including through social media," UNHCR spokeswoman Ravenna Shmadsani told a news conference.
The Egyptian authorities accuse Abdel Fattah of "collaborating with a terrorist organization", "spreading false news" and "misusing social media," the commission said.
After her arrest, she was "beaten for refusing to disclose the content of her mobile phone" and then "forced to stand against a wall for seven hours," she said. The United Nations says it has also suffered physical violence since its September 29 arrest.
"The prison guards blindfolded Alaa Abdel Fattah and forced him to undress and walk in a hallway inside the prison where he was beaten in the back and neck," the spokeswoman said.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) called on Egypt to "promptly and effectively investigate allegations of torture and ill-treatment during detention."
Demonstrations are banned in Egypt under a law passed in 2013. However, several areas of Egypt on September 20 and 27 saw demonstrations against President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in response to calls by businessman Mohamed Ali, who accuses Sisi of corruption.
Some 3,000 people have been arrested since September 20, including academics, political activists, lawyers and journalists, according to several human rights groups, saying it was the biggest campaign of arrests since Sisi took office in 2014.
