For decades, Egypt has been engulfed in a sustained human rights crisis, marked by arbitrary arrests, repression of political opposition, censorship, and widespread abuses against vulnerable communities. What has become increasingly apparent under President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s rule is a tightening grip not only on political dissent but also on cultural and personal expression. In recent months, this campaign has intensified, with Egyptian authorities targeting online creators-ranging from TikTok influencers and vloggers to belly dancers and tattoo artists-under vague charges of violating “public morals” and “family values.”

The expansion of state repression into the digital sphere highlights both the fragility of Egypt’s already suffocated civil space and the government’s determination to cast itself as the guardian of societal morality, even at the cost of silencing the last remnants of free expression.

According to the Interior Ministry, between late July and late August 2025, at least 29 individuals were arrested or prosecuted for their online content, including 19 women and one child. Egypt’s independent news outlet Mada Masr reported an additional eight cases, raising the number to at least 37. Most face charges of violating public morals or using “indecent language,” with women disproportionately targeted. Four belly dancers, for example, were prosecuted solely for their attire.

For human rights observers, this escalation is a continuation rather than a departure. “Egyptian authorities’ campaign against online content creators seems intended to quell the last vestige of space for free expression in the country,” said Amr Magdi, senior Middle East and North Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. His

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