Tensions are growing in Egypt as former army contractor Mohamed Ali called people to the streets in an anti-regime demonstration on Friday after a youth was fatally shot by security forces in the country's south.
Ali, who currently lives in Spain, encouraged the citizens to go to the rally which will take place in all Egyptian squares, especially Tahrir Square in Cairo which became a hub for the 2011 Arab Spring protests.
Calling the demonstration "Friday of Victory," activists across Egypt took to Twitter with the #FridayofVictoryforEgyptians hashtag to raise awareness.
"Protests in Tahrir Square will convey the voice of angry Egyptians to the world, unlike protests in villages and hamlets in the cities," Ali said in a video posted on his Facebook account.
Meanwhile, Egyptian authorities issued a security alert on Thursday to quell the upcoming protests.
The Arab Foundation for Civil Society Support (AFSS) – a humanitarian organization that has been monitoring the protests – has documented 164 protests in 14 out of 27 governorates from Sept. 20-27 in which hundreds of people, including children, have been arrested.
A report published by the group further listed reasons for the public outcry which included the continued nationalization of parties, trade unions and civil society. It went on to include limited political freedom, deteriorating living standards, the domination of state agencies over parliament and the continued imprisonment of thousands of prisoners of conscience.
In September last year, Ali had called for widespread demonstrations against the regime, resulting in thousands of protesters gathering in several large cities demanding the resignation of the government and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi who ascended to power through external aid after leading a bloody military coup in 2013 against Mohammed Morsi, the country's first freely elected president who died suspiciously in June during a trial.
Thousands of people rejected the army's move and demonstrated in the streets which resulted in thousands being killed in one night in Rabaa Square on the grounds that the army had to disperse the protesters to preserve order. Since then, a harsh crackdown on dissidents, not only the Muslim Brotherhood but anyone who opposes el-Sissi, has commenced.
Following the bloody coup, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) financed the new regime generously. Moreover, the U.S. has not refrained from pledging support despite the explicit human rights violations, and President Donald Trump, who previously called el-Sissi "his favorite dictator," continues to back him. He also declared that el-Sissi was a "great leader" and "highly respected." Other Western countries were silent over the mass human rights violations and the oppression of civil society.
Egypt has long been criticized for its violations of human rights, silencing dissidents and putting thousands in prison. Since 2015, the number of executions in Egypt has surged to an unprecedented level, according to rights activists who are concerned that more innocent Egyptians, many of them members of the Muslim Brotherhood, will be subjected to unfair executions.