00:00 These are the main figures of the Free Current movement, an opposition coalition which was
00:05 created over the summer in Egypt.
00:08 They've united again but this time to protest the arrest of one of their leaders, Hisham
00:14 Kassem.
00:15 The long-time journalist, a vocal critic of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, was arrested
00:21 for slander and verbal assault.
00:25 The issue of course is a political one and Hisham Kassem was targeted because he is the
00:30 head of the Free Current party and the party was targeted through Hisham Kassem.
00:37 He had critical opinions regarding economic policies recently, specifically the economic
00:42 policies pertaining to the army.
00:47 Before his arrest, Kassem posted a message supporting another journalist, Karim Assad,
00:53 after publishing an investigation on a corruption case between Zambia and Egypt.
01:01 Kassem wrote, "Even if you arrest half of the country, we will still find out about
01:06 the thefts and embezzlement of the people's money and reveal the names of those responsible."
01:13 Then Karim Assad was released and Hisham Kassem was detained.
01:19 More than 20 journalists are imprisoned in Egypt, which is ranked 166th out of 180 countries
01:28 in the World Press Freedom Index.
01:31 The arrest of the opposition figure comes as the Egyptian president is expected to run
01:36 for a third term early 2024.
