Amnesty International on Tuesday called authorities In an effort to immediately release dozens of people imprisoned for their alleged involvement in Gen Z002, the Discord-based group discussed political issues, criticized government policies, and organized discussions about bringing about meaningful change in Egypt.
In January 2026, Gen Z002 organized an online poll entitled “Popular Referendum to Remove El-Sisi,” which asked participants whether or not they supported the removal of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi from power. The survey reportedly received more than 330,000 responses and spread across social media platforms via Arabic-language hashtags.
The human rights group said authorities had arrested at least 50 people linked to the group since late May, including women, artisans and public sector workers. Authorities charged those detained with terrorist offenses, publishing false news and using online platforms to promote alleged terrorist ideas. The prosecution relies on Egypt Law on Combating Cyber and Information Technology Crimes (Law No. 175/2018) And Anti-Terror Law (Law No. 94/2015).
Gen Z002 was founded by Exiled in October 2025 Egyptian activist Anas Habib as an online community hosted on Discord, a platform that allows users to communicate via text channels, voice chats and online groups. The group described itself as “Egyptian National Youth Movement” aimed at justice. Although the group discussed political issues, it also hosted additional community activities, including current events and Egyptian media discussions, football talk, a book club, online first aid training and fitness sessions.
The arrests also follow previous concerns over Egypt’s treatment of online critics. In February 2025, Amnesty called for the release of at least 59 people arrested for allegedly supporting an online movement “Joint revolution.” Authorities accused these individuals of sharing posts and participating in online channels that support political changes and criticism of President El-Sisi’s government.
International organizations also expressed concerns about restrictions on political expression and civil society in Egypt. In June 2026 the Committee to Protect Journalists and 14 other press freedom and human rights organizations warned the European Union about what they said were widespread patterns of enforced disappearances, torture, arbitrary detention, unfair trials and restrictions on journalists, activists, academics and political opponents.
This case has parallels to the Egyptian revolution of 2011, which is often referred to as a revolution “Facebook Revolution”which began with a Facebook page exposing police brutality that eventually led to the mobilization of civilians against Hosni Mubarak’s regime.
The UN separately criticized Egypt’s use of anti-terrorism legislation against human rights defenders and activists. Critics have pointed out that the use of ambiguous terms such as “damaging national unity” and “disrupting public order” is vulnerable political weapon to silence dissenting opinions.
