Egyptian authorities have arrested more than 1,100 people since the weekend, when local demonstrations were held in various principal cities appropriately calling on President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to step down human rights monitors said.
Among those who were detained are Hassan Nafaa, a prominent writer who also teaches at Cairo University and Hazem Hosny, a former spokesman for the short-lived 2018 presidential campaign of the ex-military chief of staff Sami Anan.
Several hundred of those are under investigation for charges including using social media to spread false news, undermining national security, joining a banned terrorist group, and protesting without a permit, defence lawyers say.