Amnesty International on Tuesday called on authorities to immediately release dozens of people detained in Egypt over their alleged involvement with Gen Z002, the Discord-based group used to discuss political issues, criticize government policies, and organize discussions about bringing meaningful change to the country.
In January 2026, Gen Z002 organized an online poll titled “Popular Referendum to Remove El-Sisi,” which asked participants whether or not they supported removing President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi from power. Reports indicated that the poll received more than 330,000 responses and spread across social media platforms through Arabic-language hashtags.
The rights group said authorities have arrested at least 50 people connected to the group since late May, including women, tradespeople, and public sector workers. Authorities accused the detainees of terrorism-related offenses, publishing false news, or using online platforms to promote ideas linked to terrorism. The charges are based on Egypt’s Anti-Cyber and Information Technology Crimes Law (Law No. 175/2018) and Anti-Terrorism Law (Law No. 94/2015).
Gen Z002 was created in October 2025 by exiled Egyptian activist Anas Habib as an online community hosted on Discord, a platform that allows users to communicate through text channels, voice chats, and online groups. The group described itself as an “Egyptian national youth movement” focused on social justice. Although the group discussed political issues, it also hosted additional community activities, including discussions about current events and Egyptian media, football conversations, a book club, online first aid training, and fitness sessions.
The arrests follow previous concerns over Egypt’s treatment of online critics. In February 2025, Amnesty called for the release of at least 59 people arrested over their alleged support for an online movement called “Revolution of the Joints.” Authorities accused those individuals of sharing posts and participating in online channels supporting political change and criticism of President El-Sisi’s government.
International organizations have also raised concerns about Egypt’s restrictions on political expression and civil society. In June 2026, the Committee to Protect Journalists and 14 other press freedom and human rights organizations warned the European Union about what they described as widespread patterns of enforced disappearance, torture, arbitrary detention, unfair trials, and restrictions targeting journalists, activists, academics and political opponents.
This case has drawn parallels to the 2011 Egyptian revolution, often known as the “Facebook Revolution”, which grew from a Facebook page exposing police brutality that ultimately led to the mobilization of civilians against the regime of Hosni Mubarak.
The UN has also criticized Egypt’s use of anti-terrorism legislation against human rights defenders and activists. Critics point out that the use of ambiguous terminology such as “harming national unity” and “disturbing public order” is prone to political weaponization to silence dissent.
