Egypt Joint Statement: Authorities Halt Human Rights Abuses
Egypt’s Digital Dragnet: Children Entrapped in Online Games, Thrown into Legal Limbo
By Ahmed Hassan, Chief Editor
cairo, Egypt – In a chilling growth that raises profound questions about human rights and the reach of state power, Egyptian security services are accused of targeting children through online gaming platforms, leading to arbitrary detentions, forced disappearances, and allegations of torture. A coalition of human rights organizations is sounding the alarm,demanding immediate action to protect vulnerable minors caught in this digital dragnet.
At least 15 children, aged 12 to 17, have been arrested in the past year, accused of membership in a terrorist group based solely on their online gaming activity. the groups allege that authorities are using games like PUBG: Battlegrounds to lure children with promises of in-game rewards in exchange for joining messaging groups or sharing content that is later deemed extremist.
“These are children, not terrorists,” said a spokesperson for the Middle East Democracy centre (MEDC), one of the ten organizations that signed a joint statement condemning the practice. “They are being manipulated and exploited, then subjected to horrific treatment that violates both Egyptian and international law.”
The documented cases paint a disturbing picture. Children are reportedly taken from their homes without explanation, vanishing for days or even months before reappearing in detention. They face the same vague charge of “being part of a terrorist group,” with little to no evidence presented against them. Many are denied their legal right to detention renewal hearings.
Adding to the outrage, thirteen of the children are allegedly being held in police stations alongside adult detainees, a clear violation of Egyptian Child Law No. 12 of 1996, which mandates separate facilities for minors.
The case of Mohamed Emad,a 17-year-old U.S. citizen from Baltimore, Maryland, highlights the devastating impact of these actions. Emad was arrested in August 2024 while visiting family in Egypt. His family says he was playing PUBG when he was offered in-game rewards for sharing content on social media. Police raided his mother’s home, seizing electronics, and Emad was forcibly disappeared for 10 days.
Nearly a year later, he remains in pretrial detention, his lawyers denied access to case files. Held at Banha Police Station with adults, Emad, who suffers from severe asthma, has allegedly been denied proper medical care. His detention has prevented him from graduating high school.
Another case involves a 13-year-old Egyptian boy, whose name is being withheld to protect his identity. He was arrested in late January 2025 and forcibly disappeared for nearly three months. According to his family, he was contacted through PUBG and offered in-game rewards for sharing extremist content. When he became frightened and blocked the contacts, he was arrested two days later. He is now held at the Abu Atata juvenile Care Facility in Giza, after Al-Marg police station refused to detain him due to his age.
The human rights organizations are calling for the immediate release of all Egyptian minors entrapped while playing video games online and demand a thorough and transparent investigation into the violations they have endured. They insist that those responsible be held accountable.”These children need support, education, and psychological care, not torture and deprivation of their rights,” the joint statement concludes. ”This treatment constitutes a grave abuse of power and must be addressed urgently.”
the signatories of the statement include:
- Middle East Democracy Center (MEDC)
- Andalus institute for Tolerance And Anti-violence Studies (AITAS)
- Egyptian Front for Human Rights (EFHR)
- ِegyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIP