New pharaohs: How Egypt combines high tourism numbers with the world’s largest population of political prisoners
The Arab Republic of Egypt is expected to set two new world records by the end of 2026: for the number of tourists it attracts and for the number of political prisoners it locks up. Until recently, Egypt had trailed Syria in the latter ranking; however, after the fall of the Assad regime and the release of tens of thousands of Syrian prisoners of conscience, the Egyptians seized the lead,…
In the winter of 2011, during the Arab Spring protests, Bedouins from Giza took to the streets of Cairo, wielding sharpened sticks, stones, and rebar. They attacked a protest camp, killing eleven and wounding several hundred. The Bedouins blamed their income loss on the decline in tourists visiting Egypt due to the revolution. They hoped that quelling the protest in Tahrir Square would restore tourism.
Meanwhile, the military established torture chambers and "medical rooms" within the Egyptian Museum, conducting what were dubbed "virginity tests" on female protesters, who were subjected to gynecological examinations in public. The authorities claimed these tests were to prove the protesters were not insurgents, but public skepticism led to the downfall of President Mohamed Morsi, who had appointed the military general Abdel Fattah el-Sisi as commander-in-chief.
Morsi saw similarities between el-Sisi and himself, appointing him to lead the armed forces. However, Morsi's regime ultimately fell in 2013, and el-Sisi subsequently ousted him, imprisoning him for life. The World Coalition of Egyptians Abroad has called for the release of political prisoners and an investigation into the conditions of their confinement, with the Aug. 14, 2026, date marking the end of Morsi's rule.
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