Amnesty demands Egypt stop 'harassment' of frontline medics

BEIRUT: Amnesty International demanded Thursday that Egypt stop its "harassment and intimidation" of frontline medics for speaking out during the coronavirus pandemic.

The rights group documented the cases of eight healthcare workers, including six doctors and two pharmacists, arbitrarily detained since March for online and social media posts expressing their concerns.

It also interviewed seven doctors who said they witnessed security and administrative threats against their health worker colleagues for complaining on social media.

"Amnesty International is calling on the Egyptian authorities to put an immediate end to their campaign of harassment and intimidation against health care workers who are speaking out," said Philip Luther, Amnesty's Middle East and North Africa director.

"The campaign not only further undermines freedom of expression in the country, but also hamstrings the efforts of those tackling the heath crisis and puts their and others' lives in danger," he added.

Frontline medics have been vocal in their requests to Egypt's health ministry to provide health care workers with coronavirus tests, personal protective equipment and adequate access to health care if they contract the disease.

"Health care workers in Egypt have been arrested, criminalised and prosecuted simply for daring to express their personal safety concerns and, in some cases, have been denied access to adequate health care," Amnesty said.

Earlier in the week, Egypt's top doctors union urged authorities to immediately release its detained colleagues.

The coronavirus crisis has claimed the lives of around 70 Egyptian doctors so far working in an overstretched healthcare system.

Egypt has recorded nearly 50,000 COVID-19 cases nationwide including 1,850 deaths, according to official figures.