In Egypt, a former ambassador and six other opposition activists remain in jail after being detained last week. The diplomat, Masoum Marzouk, was arrested shortly after he called for a referendum on President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s rule. Since the 2013 coup, el-Sisi has overseen the jailing of thousands of dissidents. On Monday, former Egyptian presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahi openly criticized el-Sisi’s rule.

Hamdeen Sabahi: “We believe that this regime must be changed. This is a failed authority. This is a repressive authority. This authority opposes the interests of the Egyptian people. This authority has broken through the Constitution and disrespected it. This authority arrests opinion makers and puts them in prison just because they speak out with words of truth in the face of an unjust ruler. This authority harms the interests of the Egyptian people.”