Defense lawyer forcibly disappeared amid security campaign to contain calls for protest on Nov. 11

Defense lawyer Ahmed Nazir al-Helw was arrested by security forces in the early hours on Tuesday from his home in Cairo’s Fifth Settlement neighborhood, several of his colleagues told Mada Masr.

“Let’s get this over with, we still have 70 more to arrest,” one of the officers arresting Helw told his son, according to the lawyers. At the time of writing, Nazir was yet to appear before a prosecutor, representing a lapse of over 24 hours since the time of his arrest.

Helw works regularly on behalf of prisoners in political cases, attending investigations and detention renewal sessions before the State Security Prosecution and the Badr Court, lawyer Khaled Ali told Mada Masr, noting that some of Helw’s clients belong to the Muslim Brotherhood.

The arrest is “terrifying news” for all lawyers whose work brings them before terrorism circuit courts, and represents a violation of lawyers’ basic right to practice their profession, said lawyer Hoda Abdel Wahab. She called on the Lawyers Syndicate to intervene in Helw’s case.

Three other legal professionals speaking to Mada Masr described Helw’s arrest as part of an ongoing security crackdown across the country to curb calls for mass protest against the government on November 11. 

The origin of calls to protest on “11/11,” emerging since at least mid-October, remain unknown. Hashtags and videos have been shared on social media, while public figures associated with the Muslim Brotherhood group have amplified the calls from their places of exile outside of Egypt, including Turkey, where they have also faced a security response. 

While some detainees have appeared before the State Security Prosecution, the lawyers noted that hundreds who were arrested from their homes, workplaces or the streets are currently being held at Central Security Forces camps and are being brought before regular prosecutors.

Along with over 300 arrests recorded in Cairo alone, critical content creator Abdallah al-Sharif announced on Monday that his 74-year-old father Mohamed al-Sharif was arrested from his home in Alexandria and that his two brothers have also been arrested. Sharif said his brothers’ arrests came the day after he published a video, water-marked with the logo of the intelligence-affiliated Youm7 news outlet, in which a young woman is seen being told to praise state mega projects by a man behind the camera. 

According to organizations and lawyers tracking the spike in arbitrary arrests, most new detainees are being assigned to one of two investigations, and have faced arrest in relation to voice messages or videos in which they have criticized the president, his policies, increased living costs or the current economic situation; called for protests on Friday; or shared videos published by the exiled Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated journalist Hossam al-Ghamry in which he calls for demonstrations. Ghamry is currently in the custody of Turkish authorities.

The arrest campaign comes as Egypt faces heightened scrutiny from critics inside and outside Egypt for its handling of rights and freedoms alongside the spotlight on the country for the global climate conference, being held in Sharm el-Sheikh until November 18.